February 5, 2010 by kim.

I’m still here, just on a little hiatus while I deal with one of the worst MS flares I’ve ever had.

Oh, yes. Multiple Sclerosis.

I will fill you in on the details once I am able to focus with my eyes (as it is, my husband is typing this - thanks Chris [you’re welcome]).

I’ll see you in a few weeks.

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October 29, 2008 by kim.

I really hate store savings cards. Why can’t things just be on sale without making people lose out if they don’t have that oh-so-special card? I went to the drugstore today to buy some granola bars, and found some that were on sale – 2 for $5.00. When I got to the counter, the cashier asked if I had my savings card. I said I didn’t. She then asked if she should enter my phone number to pull up the account. Having moved so many times, I still thought that my New York phone number was attached to the account. Since I couldn’t remember what it was, I said, “No”.

You know, there are some cashiers out there who will scan their own savings card for you because they feel bad that savings cards exist in the first place and you shouldn’t miss out on a great deal just because you forgot your stupid savings card in your purse at work.

This wasn’t one of those cashiers. I had to pay $4.69 for crappy tasting granola bars.

Thanks, lady. Thanks a lot.

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August 17, 2008 by kim.

It begins again…

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October 9, 2007 by kim.

This past weekend when Chris and I went to Inwood Park, we were remarking on how beautiful it was:

I mean - take a look at that view!

Oops - not so pretty:

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September 25, 2007 by kim.

Remember the Blue Light Special at KMart 20-30 years ago? I’m sure your mom dragged you there even though you wouldn’t admit it to your little school chums who also ended up there at some point, so don’t bother trying to deny it.

Anyway, when I was a kid and found myself at KMart, I recall seeing the famous Blue Light Special. It wasn’t all that special, really. It was usually a wooden cart with some stuff in it that they just couldn’t get rid of without a huge price markdown, and there would be a pole with a spinning blue police light on top to attract your attention. I probably only noticed it out of the corner of my eye, as I was too busy getting a blue-raspberry slushie and popcorn at the snack counter, but it was there.

Well, flash forward to 2007 in NYC. KMart no longer has the same stigma of the 70s and 80s, and it is now a somewhat cool place to shop since Martha Stewart moved in. As I was walking there today, I passed some people with a bunch of balloons wearing white t-shirts, trying to hand me a flyer about the big linen sale taking place. I found it a bit odd to put so much into towels, but I went on. Then, I saw the little feet pictures pasted on the pavement with the picture of Mr. Bluelight (the name of their logo), leading to the front door. Oh – and Mr. Bluelight himself was standing outside.

It got a bit flashier when I got inside. Aside from the woman giving away free freshly popped popcorn in little blue bags, they had set up a mock photo shoot, where you could get your picture taken against a background of the KMart logo and the Mr. Bluelight logo. There were a couple of young, hip, unshaven guys there in their sunglasses looking oh, so ultra-cool, apathetically beckoning customers to “come on over” for a picture.

So much razzmatazz for some sheets and washcloths!

It makes me nostalgic for the simple cart with the spinning light.

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September 9, 2007 by kim.

Living in the big city without a car can be exhausting at times. Not only weaving your way through hordes of people and taking long train rides to go a few miles, but carrying everything you need for the day on your back. In a backpack.

Shopping is another matter. Supermarkets (the way they are in the Midwest) do not exist here. You can get a pretty decent sized store, but you can bet your sweet bippy that it won’t carry everything that you need. One stop shopping? I should say not. We have three stores on the same block near our apartment, and we have to hit all three in order to get what we need. Associated has the dry goods (the fruits and vegetables are horrid and the meats are questionable), Frank’s carries the good meats and desserts, and Ahn’s has the best veggies and fruits. Even with those three, I STILL have to go to the Whole Foods AND the Food Emporium near my place of employment to get the rest of the stuff. Maybe I’m just too picky. No – I know I’m too picky, but I want what I want when I want it.

I decided to pick up a bottle of liquor and some groceries in Union Square before heading home earlier this week. I think I may have bought a bunch of stuff at the Bed Bath and Beyond and stuffed them in my backpack, but I can’t even remember, it was so long ago. I do remember putting the bottle in my backpack and I think I went to Whole Foods for some fruit…

The point is, my backpack was so heavy (10 pounds - I weighed it when I got home), I felt like a pack mule.

PACK MULE. I came up with the title for this post and it has taken me almost a week to write the post to accompany it. HA!

Anyway, that’s how I always feel when lugging a bunch of groceries and things I’ve purchased from Union Square (or anywhere) to my apartment in northern Manhattan.

Just thought you’d like to know.

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August 19, 2007 by kim.

Chris and I were sitting outside of Fort Tryon Park when we saw this guy walking through the playground:

That’s one cool cat!

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July 1, 2007 by kim.

That’s how many steps we took yesterday when we went on our big walk (approximately - you know how accurate these things are).

We had decided to go to the bottom of Manhattan and walk up as far as we could go. It took 1400 steps and 4 trains to get to the Brooklyn Bridge (damn track work) and then we had to walk another 2969 steps just to get to Battery Park which is at the bottom of the island. We saw some interesting buildings on the way there:

Of course, I don’t know what these buildings are, but I know they were downtown.

We started near here:

(American Merchant Mariner’s Memorial with Statue of Liberty in background)

Walked along here:

Passed by these geese:

Walked by this:

Ended up here for a snack of fries and milkshakes at 44th street and 8th avenue:

Then, walked through here to get to a train to take our tired bodies home:

Where we promptly collapsed and fell asleep. All told, if 2000 steps equals a mile, we did about 9 miles yesterday. I can’t say that’s really accurate, so I’ll go with at least 7-8 miles.

Exhausting!

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June 24, 2007 by kim.

As you may or may not know, I have sort of a thing for sweets. I did scale down my stash about a year ago, but I had a bit of a slide back into candy hoarding yesterday.

It was a nice day, a day for relaxing with a favorite book and perhaps a nice little treat. Now when I get a craving for a certain candy bar or cake-type thing into my head, I won’t rest until I have it. I may not get it that day, but I will think about it everyday until I can find it and eat it. Bit of an obsessive disorder? Maybe.

Yesterday’s obsession was all about the Watchamacallit candy bar. Here’s how that came about: I had on my dresser, a book called “Mad’s Vastly Overrated Al Jafffe” from 1983 (A collection from one of the cartoonists of Mad Magazine):

Anyway, when I was a kid, we used to drive in my Grandparent’s green station wagon to see my Aunt, Uncle and cousins in Minnesota, and I used to lay down in the back of the wagon with this book, a coke and a Whatchamacallit candy bar. So, when I saw it on my dresser, I thought, “Hey - let’s take a trip down memory lane!”. The search began for this elusive candy bar.

It’s only elusive in my neighborhood - not anywhere else that I know of. I went to the stationery store (they sell lots of stuff) up the street, but no candy bar. I knew the grocery stores wouldn’t have them up here, so I went to the Duane Reade (like a Walgreens or CVS). They didn’t have it. I went into two newspaper stands that were stocked with all kinds of candy - but no Whatchamacallit. Finally, I stopped at the deli back near my house, but no luck.

At this point, I could have just tried to let it go, maybe picked one up somewhere during the week, but no. I had to have it. I decided my last stop would be the BP gas station at the bottom of these stairs:

Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess. I took the 130 steps down (yes, I counted) and walked to the BP for my fix. Lo and behold, there it was! Along with the elusive Peanut Butter Twix and the elusive Hostess cupcakes! My own little oasis in the Manhattan snacking desert! Hooray!

In typical Kim fashion, after all that, I didn’t even do what I had set out to do. I haven’t eaten a single one! Maybe today will be the day…

Sometimes, I can be so exhausting

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