Screaming for Ice Cream

We have this new ice cream place that opened up in Surrey not that long ago called Marble Slab Creamery. They make their own ice cream on premises claiming they use only top grade products and able to control the quality. So on the weekend Keith and I were out for a walk in that area and decided to pop in for a cone (good thing we walked all the way there and were walking home let me tell you). Well no small feat. They have about 30 odd flavours and that varies from day to day as they make it fresh every day so a flovour that isn't popular they won't do it again. You tell them what flavour you want and what size you want. They then scoop it up and place it on a scale to make sure you get exactly the amount you asked for. They then take it to a marble slab (hence the name) and you get to choose from a very large selection of mixins, what you want added to your ice cream. This ranges from fresh fruit, M&M's, different nuts, candy bars, candy etc etc. They will at this point mix everything up and kind of how you would knead bread dough although they use a trwoel of sorts. Then you get to choose what kind of waffle cone you want it in. They make all their cones right on the premises right in front of you and they only do waffle cones. You can get a plain waffle one, a sugared one, a white chocolate dipped one, a regular chocolate dipped one, a chocolate and sprinkles/nuts covered one etc. You get one free mixin item then every other one is .75 each.

Not knowing which was what, we each chose the smallest size and only 1 flavour of ice cream. Keith had Peanut Butter (like that was a surprise) and I had Pralines. He had just a plain waffle cone and I had a white chocolate dipped one, again no surprise there. I guess in my brain I can pretend that if it is white it is pure therefore it has no calories hehehee. He added sliced almonds to his and I asked for brownies and kit kat bar. Now I was busy talking as I usually am and didn't really pay attention to what the clerk was doing. I was trying to get Keith to try something OTHER then peanut butter. So when I turned around to watch, I saw the mound of brownie and asked the guy how much he put in there and he said 2 squares. I asked the size of the square and he showed me and I just knew we were going to have problems (each was about 1 1/2 X 1 1/2"). By the time he was done adding my 2 things in, it would not fit in my cone so he put the extra in a container which still filled half the container. I was about almost 1/2 way through the cone when I told Keith I was getting a really bad sugar headache and needed to stop. He said to just take it home but I said no there was no way I wanted that in the house. I thought for sure after he ate his he would eat mine but he never touched it.

I was very sick to my stomach and had a nasty migraine for 2 days afterward. Today I finally got around to checking the calorie count of that ice cream cone. Thank goodness I never finished the whole thing is all I can say!!!

So here is the total count.... drum roll please...926!!!!!!! If I ever go back again as a treat with one of the grand kids it would be for no cone and no ice cream, just the non-fat, no sugar added frozen yogurt in a cup although I am sure friends would say if I do that I will be no fun...

Rude Rude and then there's Rude

So here is the scoop. Yesterday was the first day of the largest shoe sale in BC. It's an annual event that every woman who loves shoes lives for. Shoes that normally run in the hundreds of dollars are down to 29.99 or lower etc. Lareta and I went last year but it wasn't on the first day and there wasn't great selection left so we figured we were smart this year and would go on the first day.

Not finding a parking space should have been my first clue but we got one and away we went. I knew it would be incredibly busy.. I mean seriously this is shoes and women how could it not be busy. I got that part and I was ok with it but I was not prepared for the behavior of women. I never go Boxing Day shopping. Especially at an electronics store. People shoving all over the place, people yelling etc. I figured never for me but this is shoes and women and we are more dignified then that. Or so I thought.

Man was I mistaken!! The store had nicely set up some seating areas away from the shelving so people could sit down to try on their shoes. Wonderful. What wasn't so wonderful were women who had a cart or basket etc and scooping up ARM FOLDS of shoes into their carts without care of color, shape, design.. nothing just scoop them all for themselves. Then they would go sit down try them on and instead of putting them back when they did not want them they would just throw them everywhere.

At one point the store manager made an announcement on the loudspeakers telling the customers to PLEASE be PATIENT. That although some of the shelves were bare there were thousands of pairs of shoes available and that the store staff were working as diligently and as quickly as possible to gather up all the shoes on the floor, re-mate them and then put them back on the proper spot. The shelving were very well marked of shoe sizes so it wasn't like you had to check every shelf for your size. But then I found a pair for me under size 6. now I haven't been a size 6 since I was 5 years old I'm sure but I saw them and thought man that is a long 6 so checked and sure enough it was an 11 and narrow to boot! Most 11's are wide. So people were changing their minds and instead of putting the shoes back on the proper shelf they would just put them where ever. So I thought gee I better check all the shelves then. WRONG!!!

I finally had to put my 5 year old granddaughter in my cart as she kept getting ripped from my hand and I had to finally snap at some woman to watch where she was going that she was trampling this little girl. You know her comment? "Get out of my way!". My granddaughter looked at me and said "Nana she was rude and she needs to go for a time out." I agreed.

Some women seeing you were behind them or when I would say "Excuse me" so I could get around would literally stand feet apart and arms out to prevent me.. are you kidding me???? I don't even need to get that size I just need to get around you. I "accidentally" then ran over the back of her heel and said ever so sweetly "Oh I am so sorry". I then plowed my way through the mass to get over to where Lareta was. I told her I had had enough and was going to go to the children clothes area so off we went. She wanted to check out the women's clothes so I put the other granddaughter in my cart with the other one and said I was going to go to the children's shoe department to look for kids shoes. That was better controlled. It was so NOISY that I could not hear my cell ringing over and over again. After I was done I went to find Lareta and saw her coming to me in a panic. She didn't know I had picked her daughter and that I had her with me or where I was going. I guess she hadn't heard me or seen me take her and I couldn't hear her madly calling me.

She found 3 very very nice pair of shoes, I stopped after 2 pairs of dressy summer sandals and I did find 3 pairs of kids shoes for my grandkids in AB and we went and did a bit of regular shopping but then we left. All day I kept thinking of my experience. That was just insane. I thought women were better behaved then that. I could understand young adults acting that way when they want to get a new gaming system or tickets to a concert etc.. but this was shoes and as much as I love shoes and i love lots of them, I didn't understand the behavior of some of the women for shoes. It was pure greed. It was pure selfishness. It was pure childishness. It was insanity. Next year if I go again I will go without grandchildren and I will bring Keith with me as he would have no problem in making a path for me to where I am going. Or keep women from taking the shoes that I had already picked out of my cart when my back was turned.

Or maybe I will just stay home next year and remind myself I am a better woman then that. I will remind myself that I really don't want to be associated with women who lower their standards to behave like that. Or worse.. associate with women whose standards are already like that. No shoe is worth that. None

False Advertising

Last night we were watching tv and I could not believe how many commercials are stretching the boundaries about truthfulness and out right deception. I also noticed that at the bottom of each commercial there was usually small script stating "dramatization". Well DUH!! Why bother then? I mean seriously what woman is going to believe if she gets Stilletto Mascara her eyelashes are all of a sudden going to be long enough to reach her forehead? Why demonstrate a product saying "cellulite disappears" on a woman that looks to be 20 years old and in top shape? Why not show someone who HAD cellulite and how it disappeared after using your product?

Hair colour: they all say "up to" 30 days of freedom from grey... is 2 days considered up to 30? But you assume when you use it that you will get the 30 days?

Cars: Drivers are speeding away like mad dogs popping "u-wies" on the highways and yet we all wonder why speeders crash their cars into poles or each other. Gee on tv they never crash

Fitness Equipment: You too can look like this when you use this multi-facet in home gym! Again they use perfectly shaped models to show off toned bodies.. why not show someone who was overweight and in bad shape and the transformation to the new them?

Fast food restaurants: Ok I know I rarely eat hamburgers but even I know that the meat NEVER overhangs past the bun! Nor do my salads look like theirs.

I think I watch too much tv!!

Can it really be spring????

so here is how I know spring is either here or almost here:

1. my doors and windows are open in the house to air it out and I am not freezing
2. I can hear the kerthunk of hockey sticks as kids play in the driveway
3. neighbors are mowing their lawns at 8 in the morning and you go outside and smell that new cut lawn smell and don't care if it sets off your allergies
4. I go outside and smell meat barbequeing
5. I realize how dirty my windows are cause the sun all of a sudden is shining inside
6. neighbors are hanging around on my patio yakking
7. winter coats are packed away one LAST time
8. I get blisters between my toes from wearing my flipflops for the first time since last summer
9. I haven't been on the computer ALL DAY long and never missed it
10. my back yard all of a sudden is wall to wall kids
11. there are chalk outlines of hopscotch all over the driveway and the older kids are using it as their hockey lines
12. I never want to see a piece of black clothing as long as you live

life is good today :)