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03-04-2000 Back to all Archives Back to 2000: January - March Archives Back to Current Entry list |
I finally found Girl Scout Cookies. Back when I was a Girl Scout, we sold them door to door. Now, you have to find a coworker with a daughter, or track them down in front of a supermarket or something. It's been quite a challenge to find a Girl Scout to buy cookies from these past few years. But driving to dinner on Friday I passed a little stand on the corner with two little girls and their rather tired mom. I screeched to a halt and bounded out of the car, begging for them to tell me that they still had Thin Mints left. They did. Ooh, bliss. I got my stack of boxes and they're in the freezer now, where they remain as I slowly dole them out, one by one, in my yearly attempt to see how long I can make them last. Today I went out looking at houses. Oh, I've done this before a time or two - gone into a new set of model homes and wandered around, playing the 'if this was my house I would do this' game with friends. But it's always been for fun, with just a little wistful wishing thrown in. Not so anymore. I had to gather up various financial paperwork to determine what level I might be preapproved for a loan. Seems a bit odd to be turning over personal information like that, but I understand why they need it. So it's no longer looking just for fun. Now I'm looking with purpose. I couldn't have picked a better time to go house hunting. No, really. NOT. Sigh. Apparently in the last six months or so the market has swung sharply around. Houses now go on the market and are snapped up in a matter of days. What happened to that nice buyer's market we were having there for a few years? There's very few houses out there that are for sale. And I'm just not willing to settle for anything - I have in mind what I want and I'm in no hurry. But it was a little depressing to realize that this is what I have to work with. Maybe if I wait a while the market will swing back again, but for now.....well, let's just say I'm not holding my breath I'm going to be a home owner any time soon. On the plus side, and a completely unrelated topic, my friends returned from Paris, and brought me chocolate. This is not your average, ordinary chocolate. This is the kind of chocolate that you savor slowly - because when you put the little piece into your mouth your eyes close and all you can focus on is this incredibly rich and sensual taste. I admit I'm a chocolate addict, but not for just any chocolate. Oh no. The darker the better. And my friends knew that, so what they brought me is so dark it's almost got a bitter taste to it. I'm in heaven. This is pure bliss. You can't get chocolate like this in this country. What we produce in the US pales in comparison to what Europeans make. I need friends who travel to Europe more often. Hmm...... |