A Deluxe Apartment in the Sky

I moved! Goodbye beach house, hello midtown condominium! You might think this is a step down property-wise but what you don’t know is how close the new condo is to a premier Harris Teeter grocery store. The raw truth is: I love grocery stores, possibly more than I love bookstores.

I hear you scoffing. What’s so special about a Harris Teeter? First of all, it’s supersized. Aside from the endless rows of actual groceries, it has a hot bar, a pizza bar, a sushi corner, a bakery, a deli, and an actual bar that serves alcohol. Yes, you can stop by mid-shopping and grab a cold one! Secondly, it’s new construction, meaning it’s clean, well-lit and nice to be in. It simply isn’t old enough to have acquired the weird produce funk of an older grocery store. People call it “the new Harris Teeter” as in, “have you been to the new Harris Teeter yet?” And now I can finally say yes, I have!

Most importantly, Grocery stores have two things: snacks I know are good and snacks I expect will be good. You know what I scored at Harris Teeter? Dilly beans. That’s pickled green beans. These fell into the “expect to be good” category because I hadn’t actually tried dilly beans. But I can report back--they are good! Harris Teeter also had lactose free sour cream, which I consider a minor miracle. There is no good dairy free equivalent to sour cream. But thanks to grocery stores, my tacos will never be without sour cream again. 

When I travel, I make a point of hitting up the nearest grocery store. You never know what delicious snacks you will find. I was in a grocery store in Brussels and half the canned goods were actually in glass jars. In Spain, I got a humongous dark chocolate bar with “arroz” which means “rice” but really, for that particular chocolate bar, it meant rice krispies. Sweden has something called “Americansk” sauce to put on burgers. It comes in a toothpaste-style tube and I’m pretty sure it’s just Thousand Island dressing. And if you are so lucky to have one, you haven’t lived until you roam the noodle aisle at your local H Mart. So! Many! Kinds! Of! Ramen!

Let me keep it real. I did not move to a condo just because it was closer to the new Harris Teeter. I moved because of a desire to downsize, plus flooding, hurricanes, tropical storms, tourists, and rapid and rabid new construction destroying the green spaces all around me. But having an amazing grocery store within a couple of minutes of my new home is sure hard to beat. 

To the Books!

Books Added to my Wishlists

Children of Radium: A Buried Inheritance by Joe Dunthorne: I don’t read a lot of nonfiction but I do enjoy memoirs and biographies on occasion.

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow: I have read everything by Alix E. Harrow except for the books still on my TBR but I swear, I will read those too!

Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin: Seems weird and queer, which is right up my alley. 

Books I Read

I’ve touched on this in previous issues, but when I get stressed and anxious, I can’t concentrate well enough to read. And moving is really stressful. Just picking up the cats from boarding to bring them to the condo gave me so much anxiety, I thought I was having a heart attack (see below). 

I’ve read 1.5 books this month. The first was a biker romance not worth talking about. And I’m halfway through Blood on her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen. So far, it’s great. Very moody and gothic, with some good scares thrown in. 

I did, however, watch a little more TV than usual! Here’s a breakdown: 

• Started the Righteous Gemstones, mainly because I love Walton Goggins. Is it just me or is there a lot of male full frontal in that show? 

• Caught up with the second season of Poker Face. 

• I’m halfway through the latest season of Harley Quinn.

• Finished my re-watch of Bob’s Burgers.

Cat Pic of the Month

As previously stated, I moved. Which means the cats also moved. And they are not as delighted as me by the new Harris Teeter. Because of the way closing on one property and buying another went, I ended up having to board the cats for 4 days. They have never done that before. Then I brought them home into a totally new environment! Needless to say, it was a very stressful and anxious time for all of us. Cats, as I have learned, really do not like change (and I’m not so great at it either). The first day in the new condo, only Pumpkin was brave enough to come out and explore. 

Show Me the Noods!

I ate spaghetti this month, I’m pretty sure. I eat a lot of spaghetti. We have Spaghetti Sundays in my home, that’s how devoted to pasta I am. But I didn’t take any pictures and none of it was that memorable.

I did, however, get to DoorDash from some new restaurants! The upside of moving! What did I have? Let’s see: 

• An amazing burger and tots from Mess Hall. I wasn’t sure the burger came with tots, so I ordered an extra side, which I then had for breakfast the next day. So good!

• Pizza from Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria, which is kinda cheating on this list because I have been to many time. I got the Doogie Howser, which was pretty spicy. Not my fav. I wish I liked really spicy food like the cool girls do, but I’m a wimp.

• A Korean burrito with beef bulgogi and pickled radish and daikon from Banh Sai. 100% the most delicious thing I ate this month. They were really generous with the bulgogi, and the pickled vege was truly a masterpiece of flavor.

In Conclusion

Moving is hard and stressful and anxiety-inducing. And expensive. 3.5/10 do not recommend. But on the other hand, I now have a fob that grants me access to a community pool. And pools? Are glorious.