Q: Miss L, does Central Mark-up have a ton of chocolate?
A: Excellent question. The chocolate at Central Mark-up is found in four main locations throughout the store: the bins, the baking aisle, the chocolate island, and the temptation lane on the way to the express lane check-out. I will only include these four locations in the analysis as the chocolate that is found in other locations in the store, i.e. seasonal items such as valentines chocolates or easter bunnies, fluctuates and are not present year round.
Let's start with the bins. By my estimation, about one inch of bin chocolate is equal to one pound. The bins are about three feet high. That's 36 pounds of chocolate per bin, about ten bins, that's 360 pounds of chocolate in the bin area. The baking aisle holds considerably less chocolate. Mostly in the form of cocoa powders and chips, I guess the chocolate here most often is available in 10 oz. bags or tins. Probably about 125 of these items. That comes to about 78 pounds of baking aisle chocolate.
Moving on the chocolate island. This is more of the premium chocolate in the form of bars, but also bin chocolate in pre-weighed (and priced) containers. The area is a large display table with the chocolate stacked in attractive baskets. The standard bar is about 10 oz., and the overall area available is similar to the amount of space in the baking aisle. However, because of the shape of this chocolate, rectangles and squares, I would guess there is more chocolate on chocolate island than on the baking aisle. I'm putting this at 100 pounds.
Temptation lane is the wild card of Central Mark-up's "ton" of chocolate. Part of this is due to the configuration of temptation lane: flush against the wall, temptation lane features chocolates (and other goodies) in to-go sizes ranging in size and priced from $2.50 to $9.00 (or so). Here you find the standard 3 oz chocolate bar. Nuts, fruit, spice, marzipan - lots of fillings here. Keep in mind this will be subtracted from the total chocolate weight. The side of the lane against the wall is over six feet high, while the other side is about four feet. Both are approximately a foot deep. Three ounces, two dozen bars a box, at least two boxes of each variety, 100 varieties, that's 7,200 ounces. That's about 450 pounds. Don't forget, we've got to subtract the nuts! Let's cut our losses and round it out to 380 pounds of chocolate on temptation lane.
In total: 360 + 78 + 100 + 380 = 918 pounds of chocolate. But wait! What about the stock in the back of the store? Well, Central Mark-up isn't going to keep that much again in the back, it just doesn't make sense, they don't move the merch that fast. Let's be generous, and say they keep 2/3 of the amount on the floor in the back. Two thirds is about 612, so that comes to 1,530 pounds.
So the answer is No. Central Mark-up does not have a ton of chocolate.
Q: Miss L, how many Topo Chicos would you have to drink to reach the RDA of sodium?
A: Assuming I was on a 2,000 calorie diet, I would have to drink 100 11.5 fl oz bottles of Topo Chico to reach 100% of the RDA of sodium. Incidentally, I would reach the RDA of calcium at 50 bottles.
4.25.2007
Q & A with Miss L
4.08.2007
3.26.2007
For Twinkle Toes
You asked what is shaking. Here it goes:
Up at 6 AM. Work at 7. Very, very sore from practicing Wii baseball so oneday I will beat Pandy Bear. Listened to Martha Wainwright Martha Wainwright (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her), Kate Bush Aerial, Tori Boys, PJ, pet shop boys, Transformers soundtrack, and assorted podcasts. Spinach salad with tomotoes, salmon, cucumber and dressing for lunch. Scanned and cleaned scanner. More soreness, black ink on nails (which are longer than ever because I am too lazy to cut them. Good thing my toe nails don't grow so fast!)
Deposited check from Pandy Bear (for services rendered), got change to do laundry.
Thought about grad school, job, my This is Good Shit! Chocolate Cake that I will be making for this weekend (for future reference: do not buy chocolate for a cake a week in advance because I will consume most of it), and should I wait for it to stop raining before I take Friedrich out?
Read article from New York Times Magazine about adaptationist and byproduct views of evolution of belief in God (just in time for conversation mom and I had last week. Mom: So why do people believe in God and religion? Me: Um, well, if it has a biological basis, which I believe it does, it is somehow tied to evolution and principles of natural selection. It has to be beneficial or be linked to something beneficial... Mom: Like what? Me: I don't know. Mom continues asking questions with no answers, I continue saying more or less the same thing over and over). I like this Atran guy. Dawkins strikes me as unnecessarily defensive, explosive. Can't we all just get along?
Read other thesis students' two page summaries of thesis. Alton Brown is making things in parchment pouches. I wish Pandy Bear ate fish.
Will I ever be able to enjoy a glass of wine or good martini with little physical problem again? Annual salary: 21, 264. Wtf? It seemed like so much when I wasn't working. I would love to have another bunny, but evidentally, male rabbits are prone to fight with each other, and they molest female rabbits constantly. Dell wireless is fraught with problems.
Coconut sorbet is yummy. Antony and the Johnsons is waiting for me at the library. Library instead of Netflix? I could save about $13 a month. I haven't read a novel since January. I love this neighborhood. I want lots of fruit trees! I prefer rain to cloudy sky.
I tried to include pictures, but for some reason uploading one small photo of Mr. F was taking over 10 minutes, so you'll have to be patient.
PS Kelly broke down when the guy tried to rape her at the dealer's where she was buying coke. Brandon *sigh* rescued her, and she's in rehab now. I know you all were wondering.
3.11.2007
Recent Zoo Trip
I went to the San Antonio Zoo with my mom a few weekends ago. Just a random trip. Here are some photos:
A crane.
A pair of lories.
A rhino.
A warthog.
A silly rabbit.
A silly puppy.
Thesis Update
I know you all are dying to know what's going on with my thesis.
I finished stage one of the computer analysis. Now I'm collecting the rest of the data needed for stage two. I have about 10 or so pages written - intro draft, methods draft. I'm not going to address even half the questions I originally started with, not even hint at primate brain evolution (my main academic interest) because I have run out of time! Not to mention, to do a decent job, I'd probably need to write a two-hundred page book, not a 40 page undergraduate thesis. I am confident I'll finish on time.
I'm very glad I decided to write this thing. It's given me a whole new perspective on research, scientific query, and the power of my own brain. If I decide to continue in academic research, as a career, I feel as though I'm laying the foundation for some great research opportunities later on in my life. I am finishing up an application to a local university for an MA Anthropology degree. We'll see what happens!
2.22.2007
Sicky-pooh
So it finally happened. I slept like crap Monday night (poor Pandy Bear was coughing all night) and the next day I felt pretty scary. Dizzy, sore throat, etc. But I went to work anyway. So dizzy and feverish all Tuesday, but I stupidly stayed at work. Luckily, not many people were there, so I don't think I infected anyone. Yesterday I went to the doctor, stayed home from work, and bought me some pseudoephedrines from the pharmacy. (now they know when I bought the stuff so when my meth lab blows up they can connect the dots). It hasn't been terrible, my fever only got to about 100 (normal on a thermometer for me is usually 97.8 - I have trouble getting it to 98.6), and I feel a lot better today. But so tired!
All season, I've been secretly congratulating myself on avoiding the usual sinus infection/cold-virus/strep throat crap that is the norm this time of year. In late January, when the shit hit the fan and coworkers started dropping like flies from colds and whatnot, I started being extra diligent about washing my hands, taking my probiotics and emergen-c. Then Pandy Bear got really sick on Valentine's Day. I hit the Wellness drops hard, continuously drank water, and pumped him and me full of oscillo. homeopathic flu remedy. I felt fine. And so proud. Pandy Bear started recovering, too, and by Friday was back at work (against my advice).
Then he went out Saturday and had several beers. Up late. Same story Sunday night. By Monday, he was sneezing out what looked like moldy pizza (his description) and the doctor diagnosed him with a sinus-infection and bronchitis. It was just too much for me. Now the two of us have spent this week moaning and lying around. Mr. F has sensed our pain and been extra cuddly. I just hope we get this out of our systems by next week! And next flu/cold season, Pandy Bear is getting the full preventive treatment so we might both get away with no colds!
2.11.2007
Just Watched...Beverly Hills 90210, Pilot Episode
Brenda - must. get. braces!
Kelly - slut.
Steve - dense.
David - gross.
Donna - virgin. :P
Andrea - nice girl.
Dylan - pussy. (as in, he is one)
Brandon - dreamy. *sigh*
What makes nagging nagging?
I pondered this question as I stared at the melted cheese cemented onto the kitchen plate. A-hole had neglected, yet again, to rinse his dish off completely before leaving it in the sink. He also left out the ridiculous stove-top popcorn popper with burned popcorn and oil all in the bottom. These things are not big deals in and of themselves, but anyone who has roomed with other individuals knows that mostly it's the little things that tend to build up, one on top another, until it's just too much.
Here's my dilemma: I hate the word nag. I loathe it. It makes me feel sick to my stomach. Why? Because I feel it is used unfairly. Really, what's wrong with asking or telling someone to do something when it's their job, something they've committed to, something they've promised to do? So, How is nag used unfairly? you ask. Because a man is never accused of nagging. My mother never said to my father, "Quit nagging." Those ridiculous caricatures of humans on sitcoms never accuse the dad or husband of nagging. I think part of the reason is that women often ask. "Will you blah blah blah?" "Can you blah blah blah?" It automatically places them below their men. Well, no more asking! I am demanding, I am commanding that these things be done.
So this is what I said: "I'm gonna rip off your balls and shove them down your throat next time you don't rinse off your plate." Then I asked A-hole if it sounded like I was nagging. "No, threatening," said he. Yes, mission accomplished! Now I'm not a whiny, pathetic female but a violent, vindictive bitch.
PS Most of this is tongue in cheek. I love my Pandy Bear! I get very lazy with dishes sometimes, not to mention cleaning the tub, etc. But I am concerned about being labeled a nag. Hate that word!
Sheesh! Alright already
Here are some updates:
Still writing my thesis. Working on the methods section or Why I Choose To Base The Hominoid Molecular Tree On This Study Over That One.
I have four books out from Austin Public Library: black swan green by David Mitchell; new moon by Stephanie Meyer; The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger; and Adventures in the Bone Trade by John Kalb. I've read David Mitchell's other novels and loved them in this order: Cloud Atlas, Ghostwritten, Number9Dream. I read the book before new moon, twilight, last month for the bitches' book club - it's a fast, enjoyable teen-vampire-romance novel and not my usual read. Their selection for February is Time Traveler's Wife, which I've heard a lot of good things about, but again, not my usual read. The last is by a geologist/physical anthropologist who lives in Austin, TX. It's about fossil hunting in East Africa and the crazy shit that goes on when you're living in a foreign country during war digging in the ground in 120 degree heat. Or something like that - it's due back in four days and I've got a few hundred pages left.
Stuart bit me a few weeks ago. Bad bunny! I felt so unloved. He must be disgusted by me.
I've been cooking several meals a week. Not just grilled fake cheese and tomato soup, but real meals that take one to two hours until they are finished. So worth it! One draw back: restaurant food is not as good anymore. Not that I'm Julia Child or anything, but I can make it taste how I want and the food is very fresh. No heat lamps here.
I measured the distance that I've been walking with Friedrich around our neighborhood. Two miles! Yippee! That's awesome. It takes us a little over 30 minutes, and I was worried that we were only walking a mile or so. But two miles is pretty awesome - I should wear my pedometer and see how many steps I'm taking. 10,000 steps a day for optimum health! I read something that said Amish men get around 17,000 - 25,000 steps a day which is amazing. The researchers thought this might explain the Amish's low amount of obesity despite a diet high in refined flours, sugar, and meats.
I hope that is good for now. I'll try and think of other things to post later.
1.29.2007
12.23.2006
Do you guys agree with the quiz results?
| You Are a Cranberry and Popcorn Strung Tree |
 Christmas is all about showcasing your creative talents. From cookies to nicely wrapped presents, your unique creations impress everyone. |
12.20.2006
Belated Thank You(s)
Thanks to my wonderful friends and family who supported my family and me during our recent loss, esp. J, Jr, and Pandy Bear for coming to my Granny Pat's service and celebration.
Thanks to P for the wonderful Christmas gift! I love sharing it with you and Jr - a fabulous tradition.
Thanks to J for inviting me to the cookie exchange and employing a (friendly) "pregnant woman's guilt trip" to get me to go ;) (Use it while you can!)
Thanks to all of you who came to the gingerbread house-making party! It was super fun, and I'd post pictures if I had some (I will get them later from Sister, and I'll blot out your faces so no one will know your identities!). Special thanks to Sister for bringing all that junk, and thanks to Pandy Bear for cooking an amazing fried foods feast (veggie style).
Thanks and merry christmas!
12.18.2006
Yummers
Tonight: Mashed potatoes (with skins)
Sauteed mushrooms and brussel sprouts in screwdriver sauce (butter, vodka (thanks for leaving it, P - I owe ya!), OJ)
Baked tofu in peanut satay sauce
First Day
I love orientation! Just listening to "blah blah blah" and fill out paperwork - and I get paid for it! I'm excited because I also found out that I get to listen to my iPod while I'm working. Yippee!
12.13.2006
Rabbit 'rhea
Rabbit 'rhea is the term Pandy Bear and I use to describe the messiness that comes out of Stuart when he has a tummy ache. It is nasty, nasty stuff.
Say it with me: Rabbit 'rhea. It's runny and brown/green. It is rank. It gets all over his legs and belly.
This is a prolem - I don't know if any of you have tried giving a rabbit a bath before, but imagine giving a squirmy cat a bath, then imagine that cat having hind legs ten times as powerful. Now imagine that the cat is also a rodeo bull and can twist and contort in all manner of ways (I guess cats can pretty much do this already, but the bull is more impressive because it does it very violently). That's Stuart when he doesn't want to be held.
Remember how psycho Fiver would get when something bad was going to happen in Watership Down? That's Stuart when I put him in the water. (Image from movie Watership Down - yeah, it's actually the rabbit Holly, but you get the idea).
It goes like this: I fill the sink with room temperature water about halfway. I place an unfolded towel on the toilet lid next to the sink. I gingerly pick up Stuart, careful not to get his rabbit 'rhea all over my hands and shirt. As he squirms, I lower him into the sink. It goes pretty quickly because Stu runs his legs the whole time - this effectively creates enough motion in the water that most of the shit washes off of him without me having to touch is nether-regions. After about 30 - 45 seconds of this, I lift him up and place him on the towel. My left hand stays on his body as I use my right hand to quickly fold the towel around him. Then I take the knife and with one swift motion disembowel him - no more rabbit 'rhea! Just kidding, I don't do that last step.
Stu stops squirming once he's wrapped in the towel. Like a baby in swaddling clothes.
He ate a good dinner last night, so I think he's feeling better.
12.07.2006
12.06.2006
School is almost over
Well, tomorrow is my last official day of school for this semester. I have two tests for two different classes from one prof, and it is the last day in the lab for a big forensic case project due by Monday. I am still working on my thesis project, but have hit a major snag. I'll probably spend some time working that out next week. Next semester I'm only signed up for one class that meets, but I may end up dropping that for work. We'll see. My honors class doesn't require class meetings, but I will meet with my advisor every week or two.
Oh, that reminds me, I sort of decided what I'll be doing next year. I got really stressed out and didn't want to go into a Ph D program straight out of undergrad, so I decided I wouldn't apply for any of those programs for next fall. That left the option of working, interning, and/or applying for masters programs in March for the fall. Then I thought I might as well apply to A&M - their deadline isn't until Jan 1 - but Granny Pat got sick, and I've put it off again.
There's still time left, but I don't really know how I feel. I think the biggest issue is that I want to have options, and at this point there are still several options. I hit a low point with school about a month, month and a half ago. I was totally stressed out and didn't feel like I have what it takes to make studying a full-time job. I was all ready to go back to the real world and return to school only to learn tangible skills. But then I read some paper, and I remembered how cool this stuff is to me. I like learning about it!
What has really zapped me has been the job search. If I really believed in mistakes, I would say that quitting my job before having any real prospects was a mistake. But there's no use crying over it at this point, so I'm not calling it a mistake. I will admit that it has been difficult. Being unemployed with bills to pay and debt does not a sound sleeper make. It takes a lot of brain power to apply to several jobs a week, and that left little brain power for reading papers and thinking of grad school applications. Grad school should, WILL, be different. I will only go if I am paid! It's a job, I'd be learning to teach, working for other profs, writing grants to earn the school money. I will only go if I am paid.
I might have a job! I had an interview that went really well, so I'm feeling better about myself. I have a few back-up plans. And if those don't work out, I'll bite the bullet and head into retail or food service knowing that it's only temporary. Everything's only temporary! Buddha says "All is transitory" - don't sweat it, dude.
12.03.2006
Sweet Granny Pat
At 7:31 AM on November 30, 2006 Patsy Ruth Howard passed away. My parents, my sister, and I were with her since about 3 AM, and my dad had been their since the evening before. My sweet, sweet grandma had a very peaceful goodbye.
I want to share a few details about her life. She was born in 1918, and would have been 88 on December 21. She had two sisters and two or three brothers. She a very beautiful young woman, and popular in high school in Sweetwater, Texas. She attended college! She went to North Texas when it was a girl's college in the 30s.
She was married twice. She had one daughter with her first husband, who was ordered to pay her $30 a month in alimony when they divorced. Thirteen (or so) years later, my dad was born, then a few years later my uncle. Their father was my grandfather who was a Lt. Col. (I think) in the Air Force and flew bombers in WWII. Her marriage to my grandpa took her to Japan, Alaska, Colorado, and San Antonio, where my dad and uncle went to high school.
After they divorced, my grandma lived it up as a single woman, owning her own (very successful) women's clothing consignment shop in San Antonio, travelling to London, Paris, the Netherlands, and several trips to Vegas and Alcapulco. She enjoyed Broadway and gambling, fashion and parties. I remember her apartment in San Antonio had a fabulous pool with palm trees and a volleyball net.
Grandma had lots of girlfriends, and evidentally several male suitors, only one of which I remember. My sister and I enjoyed the fruits of her creative labors throughout our childhood and adolescence: she sewed us skirts, scrunchies, and cute midriff-baring tops Mom never would have bought us; she taught us how to sew pillows; and she taught us how to paint Bob Ross-style oil landscapes and china teacups. So many hours devoted to artistic endeavors with Grandma.
Pat was an accomplished painter and sewer, but she also excelled at gardening. Her little duplex in Gracy Farms had the most beautiful irises, lilies, and hawthorne in the whole neighborhood. And of course she cooked. S and I have fond memories of her dinners, which our family shared with her several nights a week for years. She made awesome chocolate-chip cookie cake. Foods she loved: any baked good with lemon (esp. cookies and pound cake), fuzzy navel and margarita wine coolers, fried catfish, and carrot jello.
She was a cat lady! No apologies for it - we went with her to several cat shows at Palmer Auditorium in the 80s. The cat she had the longest while I was growing up was named Tuxi, short for tuxedo. A real schizo cat. Even to a few days before her death, the cat in the nursing home continued to pay grandma visits because she knew she'd get love there.
Grandma was so loving, but she had quite a mischievious side. She loved to give her sons a hard time, lovingly, and it always made us laugh (trust me, those boys deserve it! they can be quite the stinkers). She loved watching America's Funniest Videos. I know she got into lots of trouble with her Aunt Willie and my great Aunt Cha, her sister in-law. They would play cards and drink, and my Aunt Cha had a reputation for being quite a hell-raiser.
Let's see, Grandma also loved Wheel of Fortune, Greg Kinnear, and Michael J Fox. She hated Willie Nelson for some reason (I think it was his hair), but loved some of his songs (Don't Fence Me In). She would often hum old jazz standards and big band tunes. One time for Valentine's Day, she made S and I these little ceramic music boxes that played Let Me Call You Sweetheart, another one of her favorites.
The last party at our house Grandma came to was August 6 of this year. We have some video footage that S and I watched earlier today. She ate four or five pieces of dessert and stayed until about 10 PM, really late for her. She kept telling my Dad she wanted to stay a little longer. I'm so glad she did! We had fun that day.
Grandma Pat was amazing. Always so willing to teach us about art or make us something, and she always wanted to participate in whatever we were doing - she went to the zoo, Sea World, restaurants, parties, vacations, the movies, and shopping with us. She even dressed up in Halloween costumes with S and me.
In these last few years, Grandma Pat participated in the Linus Connection. This is a really neat group. They make quilts for kids in homeless shelters, battered women's shelters, hospitals, crisis centers and in foster care. Grandma made quilts for family and friends for years, and continued making them for Linus Connection up until a few months ago. I am very excited today because my mom gave me Grandma's sewing machine. It's such a wonderful gift, so much a part of who she was and a symbol of so many of the gifts she gave to me and my sister throughout her life. I made my first (and only) quilt as a gift to Pandy Bear for Christmas of 2004. I plan on continuing Grandma Pat's giving by making quilts for Linus Connection myself. I can't think of a more meaningful way for me to remember her and honor her kindness and generosity.