random thoughts - Day 2,028 (Sunday) - coping and shopping

The return to summer weather continued, and according to forecasts, will stick around for Monday and Tuesday. If I had my act together, I could finally get in that daytrip to the beach that was postponed all summer. It's a jolly fantasy, but driving is too uncomfortable with the jacked up shoulder and Tuesday morning is booked with the orthopedics appointment so the speed bumps are in place.

Ice pack comfort for the road.

Dance practice was good this morning, and once again, the shoulder was good during all the movement. Having a Quasimodo ice pack hump perched on the problem shoulder made the drive there and back tolerable. This week I was smarter and I took an insulated lunch bag loaded with two Nordic ice packs to keep the gel packs cold during class. It was a good coping system and allowed for an errand on the way home instead of racing to an ice pack.

There was a stop at Ocean State Job Lot on the way home. The parking lot was busy with the dinosaur and cookie truck event taking place at the Staples end of the parking lot. I was not curious enough about the cookie truck to navigate the many families who seemed to be parking at the furthest point from the event and walking across the expansive parking lot which had plenty of closer spaces available. 

Ocean State wasn't crowded inside, but there was still a notable number of rugrats running around and some laissez-faire parenting in action. At least three times the same small human came sprinting around a corner and nearly went face first into the far end of my cart. He was with the tall human who kept yelling for "Roscoe." The same family unit of the two tall and two small humans (one being Roscoe) appeared around every corner and blocked every aisle, no matter how much I tried to avoid them. I stood there waiting to get down an aisle for a good three minutes while they read every spice jar out loud, and finally retreated back down the aisle I was trying to exit. Somehow, when I reached the end, there they were again, blocking the next egress. It felt like a haunting. I couldn't get out of the store fast enough.

Real life versus product photography.

The point of today's Ocean State grocery adventure was an unsuccessful search for Sophia's Italian boxed butternut squash risotto. To avoid leaving empty-handed it ended with boxed Indian dinners. Even without a microwave, the heating times were just three to five minutes. The serving suggestion of basmati rice was followed, which extended the overall cooking time to a whopping 20 minutes for the rice. 

The plated result of Palak Paneer (Spinach and Paneer Cheese) meal looked nothing like the picture on the box. Not even close. Clearly, a lot of staging went into the photo for the box. It looked gross in real life, but tasted okay, mostly due to the rice. The boxed stuff is adequate in a pinch, but I doubt I'll put much effort into buying it again. There is one more flavor in the pantry and maybe it will look more appetizing.