There is nothing other than pure love in this picture. Mind you, that most of these items cannot be found in a normal store here. Ziploc bags, you ask? Why they are everywhere. True, bags with locks are everywhere, but not ziploc. No offense to my UK readers, but the 'ziploc' bags here are terrible. Terrible. They break after about the 4th zip. I have found that most plastic items here are for starters, hard to find, two, very expensive and three, of terrible quality. I get the whole recycle thing, but when you have doggie poop bags that rip like tissue paper when you are trying to separate them on the perforation, it's quite frustrating. You have been a good doggie owner by using one huge poop bag on a tootsie roll sized log and managed to touch it with your hand, as your bag is split straight down the seam. And, paid a fortune for the whole roll of them.
Back to Costco's.....I was in heaven and am still grinning from ear to ear. The mixed nuts and almonds were a bonus. I didn't see them until the very end. I couldn't find my big jug of trail mix, but it's probably best. The large jug of Pace salsa was another surprise. The UK form of salsa is very different than this, comes in a mini-me bottle and is expensive to boot. This also holds true for peanut butter. I can get by on the pastier taste, but the jars are about one quarter the size of this one and I can top one off in 3 days easily. Pretzels...oh my word...I screamed like a little girl when I spotted these. Even though they are not my favorite Snyder's....they will do! The only pretzels I've found here are in a bag that is so small it wouldn't suit my niece or nephew for a snack.
I also got the usual - paper towels, TP, coke zero, beer, half a sliced ham, a huge block of cheese and plenty of pork, chicken and lamb chops. I used my new freezer ziploc baggies to separate and freeze. So, my little bag-stingy corner store, don't worry, I won't dare ask for a free plastic bag again (since I didn't have my re-usable one with me and had just spent 12 pounds on items that I couldn't carry) and have you roll your eyes, throw it at me and make the 5 people behind me wait while my inexperienced hands bag all of my goodies that I just bought in your store. Was that eggs on the bottom, or should they be on top of the bread?
After the Costco run, we shuffled over to Ikea. I finally was able to buy a bookshelf. The dresser of drawers from the guest room was not a good substitute. I think I'm done with all of my house purchases, other than new bedding and a bathmat for my bathroom.
I was invited to a dinner get together on Saturday night to another vet student's house a 'wee bit' out of town. She and I got accepted at the same time (but she's in the 4yr program) and so I was in contact with her the entire year of my deferral. She was a great source of information and invaluable in my flat search prior to arriving. She had some of her classmates over, a few from the 4 yr program that just started and then two of us first years in the 5yr program. It was Mexican night...yum, yum. Her husband and 3 dogs are also here and it was a really fun night. You knwo it's good when the host gives you his own bottle of Bailey's to take home. I dunno how that happened, but I didn't complain!
So, I've been thinking and my next big purchase......a car. Yep, I've caved in and I'm going to do it. I'm tired of not having my full independence and think it will help on these cold, rainy, dreary days to get out and about. I sure don't want to be walking in it, so a car will be nice. I can pack up the Bingo Boyz and go on an adventure. Not to mention, just the convenience....shopping is purely a pain doing the whole bus thing. It also is a waste of precious time. Plus, I really am going to need one to do my EMS over Easter and the summer break. Not to mention, our campus moves out to Easter Bush next fall and walking to school will not be an option. But, more on that later. I don't want to have to think about moving and the possible parking nightmare at the new campus just quite yet.
So, now I must get ready. I'm headed over to my lab partner's to work on some stuff.
Hope everyone is having a great week so far.
Over-N-Out