A new supermarket opened near us in May. A Wegmans. I had been in a couple of their suburban stores, they have a cult following, and found them interesting, but not worth traveling 10 miles out of my way for. The new one is a mile from home as the Eagle flies. I have been a couple of times. They have a lot of specialty items, not things you would buy every week, but things I might want for a special occasion. A nice cheese department, but no beaver cheese.
Work remains busy - it always will be - after I retire I will be able to write about what I do. I did have a swoon moment recently when an NPR reporter registered for a program I was producing (National Public Radio.) If I am quoted by NPR, I can die knowing my work was noticed by people who think.
The USA is lifting the requirement of a negative Covid test to board a plane for the United States. One of my colleagues was in Scotland for a conference, boarding a plane for the return flight about 12 hours before the change took place. Oh well. The pre-departure tests in Iceland cost me $53 each. If this change sticks, maybe I will start to think about more adventure. Spain and Portugal are high on my list of need to sees.
Google cloud stores a backup of my photo archive (I use a redundant system with two clouds and two physical drives.) A couple of weeks ago there was an message that their computer had put together a draft book of photos from my recent trip, and if I wanted I could edit, and even order a printed version. It was good, I think I only made one change and I ordered a printed copy. A couple of days later there was a message that it had shipped. It was handed over to FedEx and took 8 days to travel here from North Carolina. If there was an easy way to comment to them I would say, "If they had handed it to a drunk monkey riding a bicycle, it would have gotten here faster." I hate FedEx.
When we returned home I ordered a high quality printed book from Zuno of the Iceland highlights. I have printed a couple of photo album books with them, they do really high quality work. What their website didn't say when I ordered it was that their printing is done in China, and China shut down the city the printing facility is in for 2-months. It had been closed for over a month when I placed the order and there was no clear communication that the order would be delayed indefinitely. They processed payment promptly. I am still waiting.
Argh, shipping. So frustrating. When I was sending Chuck care packages the last two years, they were delivered from Wegmans.
ReplyDeleteIt is a fun kind of place
DeleteAhhhhhh Wegmens. One of the stores I'll use here. Or Trader Joe's...when I don't use the market. I like both.
ReplyDeleteWe have three or four good options, Trader Joes has things no one else has. Wegmans may give Balducci's a run for the upper end money. I can see them in a war over who can carry the best caviar.
DeleteIs it still illegal to process the payment before the item is shipped?
ReplyDeleteHmm? If I knew a good lawyer
DeleteI love browsing through an extensive cheese selection, but then end up only buying one of my usual six selections, LOL!
ReplyDeleteCheese can be so fun
DeleteThat grocery store sounds a lot like our AJ's grocery. Kind of upscale with lots of specialty items. I usually buy my meats from them because the quality is better. I hate FedEx too. I get lots of misdirected packages from them. I just got one this week. They need to give their drivers a map.
ReplyDeleteWe are lucky here with several great options
DeleteYou DO know that FedEx employs drunk monkeys, right?
ReplyDeleteI've heard of Wegman's, we don't have one, but we do have Harris Teeter and Whole Foods and Lowes Markets which are all nice and costly.
Harris Teeter and Whole Foods here.
DeleteWegmans is my favorite store. There is one about four miles from here. Their produce is the best around.
ReplyDeleteThe lamb tenderloin is amazing
DeleteKeep asking until they provide some. and call me.
ReplyDeleteThe measure of a really good whisky selection is if they have a Breton whisky, (single malt made in Brittany - Astor in NYC often has it.) You can buy it in Carrefour in Normandy and Brittany.) Most places are inferior. I was thinking of you when I wrote that line.
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