New Kids in Town

I caved. Nordstrom Rack had a grand opening on Friday and I went to check it out. In typical Nordstrom fashion, they made the experience enjoyable with plenty of check out lanes, guides to said lanes, and even a line monitor. As well they handed out reusable bags to all the customers, of which there were plenty. I was mostly looking to see what I could see, however I did buy a few things. One of those things was a top, just like the one Bruce got me for our anniversary, in a different print. I just love the way it fits and feels. I put it on later in the day and when Bruce arrived he said, wow, that is cute, even better than the one I bought. Not true, they are both awesome. Today department stores have lost favor with young folks but I prefer them to going to multiple stores. It just seems like the Nordstrom buyers are good, the staff treats the customers so well, why go anywhere else?

For most of the weekend we stayed close to home, but Sunday afternoon we went to Bruce's new office to pick something up for his trip today. Darden is certainly not a new kid around these parts, but they definitely have some fancy new digs. I was glad I had my baby camera in my purse, although I'll be heading there myself later in the week for the annual Darden holiday sale. I'm showing you the main lobby,

as well as what they call "Main Street."

The red is awesome; apparently they searched high and low for just the right shade. I think they hit a home run. The building is LEED certified with loads of natural light everywhere. Bruce no longer has his office with a door, but he's made his work space efficient, not to mention, nice. There's a large cafeteria with floor to ceiling windows looking out over a small lake. Although it was closed, I could see they offer loads of great options. Break areas near the work spaces are equally as nice, stocked with trail mix, coffee stuff, juice, and fountain drinks. One catch, you have to do your own dishes! Seriously, they've done away with bottled water, instead offering nice glasses for your beverages. Naturally we are delighted Bruce is still employed, even more so that when he is in town, he has a wonderful home away from home.

Remember I said I would be mowing the lawn last week. I would if I could. Friday morning, after getting the laundry going, I put on my mowing clothes and shoes and headed out to get started, only to be thwarted by a non-starting mower. I pulled, and I pulled, and I pulled. No luck.

Without complaining, Bruce set about to fix it on Saturday morning, spending several hours, wearing a blister to boot, all to no avail. I was mostly an onlooker, however, I did research on the computer, hollering out through the open window what could possibly be wrong. It just wasn't happening, no matter how hard he tried. Good thing the grass is growing at a snail's pace at the moment. I took it in this morning to Thrailkills, a mower shop on Orange Avenue. We go way back with Thrailkill, all the way back to when Matt was a 5 year old kindergarten student, or was he in first grade? Either way Colleen Thrailkill not only taught Matt, but Bill a few years later. Wonderful woman!! She loved the Peck boys, and really, who could blame her? In my opinion she showed exceptional taste...

Last week I mentioned Bruce had an inspection. I misspoke--it's tomorrow in North Haven. Bummer, the Capital Grille opening party is tonight, and Bruce is missing it, which makes me sad. He worked so tirelessly on that restaurant, I want him to get all the accolades he deserves, and what better time than when all the big-wigs are in one place. Bummer.

Last night we played Yahtzee for the first time in a long while with Bruce crushing me in the second round--255 to 122! Who, I ask you has ever had a score that low???? Jonathan and Alissa gave us the game a few years ago, a fancy set, I must add. The score sheets are an interesting case study. I compared Matt, Jonathan, Alissa, Bruce a myself with me being the messiest score keeper. The others sheets were remarkably similar with nice neat even columns. I'm not sure what that means--any ideas?

Finished a new book yesterday afternoon--Rhyming Life & Death by Amos Oz, a celebrated Israeli author. The story revolves around a celebrity author doing a literary event and his way of passing the time as he grows bored with the proceedings. Very interesting, the mind of an author.