Random Grocery Store Thoughts

For once I thought I'd do a viewpoint/opinion blog, so I apologize if you're expecting something about me and/or my life (both of which are status quo at the moment).

Ever since I was little, I always enjoyed grocery shopping, whether it was going to Food Lion (or occasionally Gravitt's... they had a conveyor belt at the register!) with mommy or going to four different stores to get the best deals with grandfather in Pennsylvania (hmm, wonder where I got that from). So it's almost like an adventure to me, paying attention to the prices, trying new things, etc.

Let me start out with Albertson's. I've expressed my beef with them before. I stopped in there the other night for a couple of things (of which they had neither), and I have no clue why people shop there other than ignorance or convenience. Almost everything there, all brands, every department, is extremely jacked up. Sometimes their sale prices are more expensive than Smith's regular prices! I could understand if they were (a) a swanky upscale store (i.e. Harris Teeter) or (b) a small local chain that couldn't afford lower prices (let's say Piggly Wiggly), but it's neither! To me everything seems to be equal quality to Smith's. Granted someone found a worm in a can of Kroger green beans, but that's not going to stop me from shopping there. I can see where Albertson's might be able to get away with that in California or Florida, but it seems out place here. I guess this is a large enough city and people willingly spend their money without thinking about it. Doubt it would fly at home though... there's a reason Harris Teeter didn't stick around, and that was before Wal-Mart became a Super Center.

Two things get thumbs up at Dan's Foods. Their meat department is awesome. I've only gotten stuff there twice, but it's always been top notch. The prices are reasonable, and you can get small packages. Seems like everything at Smith's is in a jumbo pack. I don't need 5 pounds of pork chops. Maybe they suppose you'll go to the butcher counter for small amounts. Secondly, I bought some loaf bread there, called "Farm Bread," made locally in SLC. It was the "cheap" bread ($1.39) but it is honestly the best loaf bread I've ever had. On that subject, I'd like to know who buys all the various brands of $3 loaf bread out here. From my experience (and looking at it), the quality isn't a whole lot different than the cheap stuff. On top of that, even Merita and Sunbeam at home weren't that expensive (although that could have changed by now).

Lastly, let's get into the rising prices. Since I've moved out here, it seems like things have gone up more noticeably than I ever remember. Normally it's like "5 years ago I could get it for this much", but now it's like "2 weeks ago....". It's not everything, but a couple examples I have noticed. The Kroger snack crackers (i.e. off brand Wheat Thins) were $1.04 when I first got here. Then they went up to $1.19, and now they're $1.40. Big K soda 12 packs has gone up $.25 since last year, apple juice has shot up $.40. Speaking of which, why is juice so expensive out here? Even the off brand watered down stuff is over $2. I'm pretty sure last year I could get Food Lion brand for $1.25 regular price (although it had gone up to $1.79 at Christmas). The prices are obviously due in part to rising fuel costs and use of corn for ethanol (a generally stupid idea, but that's another topic), but for a bargain hunter like me, it's like jeez.

So why am I complaining so much? I have no idea. I average like $30-40 per week. Guess it's just one of those things you notice.

Adventures with Casey

I had a great time with Casey and am glad he was able to come. We had some hits and misses, but stayed busy. After he got in Thursday night, we went to a local BBQ place and then just came home and watched TV. Friday morning I had class, so we went to that and the weather briefing. That afternoon we drove out to see the salt flats (about 1 1/2 hours away). The extent of it was pretty impressive. We then headed in to Wendover, NV, which is basically a town of casinos right at the border. We stopped in one to say we played a slot machine (won nothing), but left quickly since it seemed kind of sketchy. We headed back into town and stopped by a comedy club. A guy from Louisiana was the headliner, and he was pretty funny. Afterwards we met up with some of the other grad students at Brewvies. Saturday we took off into the mountains via Provo. We tried to see Utah Lake but it cost $9 to get into the park there. We stopped a few places to take pictures and got lost trying to get into downtown Park City, but we eventually made it out of there, no thanks to a giant snow bank blocking our view. Saturday night we attempted to go to a Utah Jazz game, but they claimed (TV showed otherwise) the entire upper deck was sold out, and the cheapest tickets were $60. We did have a fun ride on Trax, although it's not quite the same as the NYC subway. So we just went out to dinner and hung out. Casey probably thinks Utah drivers are insane (true) since we had numerous close calls with stupidity. Pictures have been posted on Webshots. Christmas ones are up too. Sorry they're spread out, there weren't that many.

One thing I've failed to mention is snow. We have obviously gotten a lot, although the best was when I woke up to an unexpected 8 inches. After a slow start, we have been very active, at least according to the locals. I have not tired of it at all, and love seeing snow on the ground and walking through it. The only bad things are having to clear it off my car, all the dirt associated with it, and trying not to slip walking to class. I have three homework assignments due this week, so I need to force myself back into the real world!

Semester 2 Begins

But let's do a little review first. The end of the first semester was indeed a bear, but I got by and have moved on, so no need to dwell on any of it. I flew home December 15 and was able to arrange a nice welcome home gift. My family and I had dinner in Raleigh with Lydia and the 8th floor Sullivan kids from freshman year: Tim, Austin, Ian, and Drew. It was good catching up with everyone since our hanging out time was severely limited the past couple of years. My break was rather mundane but relaxing and wasn't punctuated by any major events. I didn't get anything exciting for Christmas, mainly practical stuff that would fit in my suitcase. We made our annual post-Christmas trip to Pennsylvania to visit family, which was a good time. I bought a pretty cool picture at the mall that is a collage of hand-painted replicas of photos from the Steelers' Super Bowl XL season. Kristin was in Raleigh visiting some of her friends so I went down New Year's Eve and spent some time with her and Lydia. It was uneventful compared to some of our past adventures, but enjoyable nevertheless. I flew back out January 5th and have been buzzing around trying to get everything settled plus trying to get my body readjusted.

The second semester of grad school did begin and I have another full load. I'm taking Synoptic Forecasting II, Global Climate System, and Advanced Cloud Physics. I also have to get started on the research project, as the abstract was accepted and I am officially on the program of the Tropical Meteorology Conference. I don't know what to expect, just that it will be tough sledding. On a more upbeat note, Casey is scheduled to come visit Thursday through Sunday. I have no idea what we're going to do at this point, but we'll figure it out. At least he's coming now before I get stressed out with all the work I'm sure to have.

The Steelers season ended Saturday and I missed most of the game since I was flying back. They almost pulled off the biggest comeback in playoff history but it wasn't meant to be. Apparently there were a few dumb coach's calls, such as going for a 2-point conversion after a 10 yard penalty, and running a QB sweep on 3rd and 6. The refs also allegedly blew some calls. But the same problems that plagued the team all season resurfaced: special teams, offensive line, defensive lapses at inopportune times. Coach Tomlin talks a good game and I generally like him, but he still has a lot of growing and learning to do. Hopefully the problems can be solved during the offseason and we'll be stronger next year, although the schedule is brutal.