Hi, hi, lovepies! Sorry about the moving-themed titles and accompanying groan-fests. Can you tell I don’t like packing? I HATE it! Definitely the worst part of traveling.
This morning I started the shoveling of stuff. But I needed a little extra fuel. Enter Genji-Pie.
I remembered to take a picture of the super-cute packaging. Just reading the label puts a big smile on my face:
Genji-Pie is made from the finest ingredients of wheat flour, margarine, sugar, and more. This heart-shaped pie has been enjoyed since 1965. Why not make your teatime more delightful with Genji? And then, up the side of the logo, it reads: Heart-warming Pie. Can we say “Awww” all together now?
I talked to my mom and my grandma to make sure we’re all on track for the great haul and then made a lunch in three parts. Part one was something new to me. Cottage cheese. Can you believe it? I’ve only had it a few times in my life, because my parents rarely buy it and when I was a little kid I thought it looked gross. I warmed up some frozen peaches, added cinnamon and brown sugar, then swirled it all together.
It wasn’t exactly my favorite thing ever, but once I added a handful of blueberries it was quite all right.
Then I started going through my magazines to see if there were any I wanted to keep or articles I wanted to clip. Yes, that’s right, I am 85 and keep my magazines and save interesting clippings. I admit it, so that is the first step in remedying this problem. Christina came down to laugh at me and tell me she had made tuna pizza for lunch.
Now, let me tell you, seafood is not my thing. I have tried many varieties prepared many ways, and haven’t really had anything that made me go “mmmm.” But, being the adventurous taster eater that I am, I decided to give it a shot. Who knows, maybe tuna pizza would be the next big thing! I grabbed a slice with a handful each of cherries and blueberries.
Alas, the tuna pizza did not do it for me. I took one bite and thought “ugh, too fishy” but tried another just to be sure. I am certain that the pizza itself was quite tasty, but I just couldn’t get past the tuna flavor. Sorry, Christina! I gobbled up the fruit and looked around in the fridge for what else I could whip up. (I’m not going to the grocery store again, so it is just the random things I have on hand from my shopping trip a week ago. Not much is left!!)
Things were not looking promising, so I took the easy route: I scrambled up two egg whites with a little cheddar and hot sauce.
And then I tried packing again. But was promptly distracted by other errands I could run. So I returned some stuff to the library, stopped by my college campus, and went to the drugstore. On the way home my tummy started grumbling again (!) so I stopped to buy a roll at a bakery. No photo, but it did the trick.
Home. More packing, more moaning.
I decided to get my “family” (as in, the roomies) Chinese food for dinner. We got a veritable feast! Everyone was really happy to be treated to dinner, and I felt good that I was able to do it. Hey, it’s probably our last chance to all eat together! I got several different things that I thought the boys would like, and we just set everything up buffet-style. I was amazed that I seemed to have ordered the exact perfect amount of food! Yay! Here’s my plate:
Veggie Lo Mein, garlic chicken (but mine is almost all vegetable matter), beef with broccoli, rice, and General Tso’s chicken. Maybe not the healthiest spread ever, but it all tasted pretty good. While we ate, we watched “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” Goodbye, Lenin!
And then, more packing. I keep changing my mind. One minute, I feel like I have a lot packed up and that the rest won’t take long; the next, I am feeling overwhelmed with this seemingly insurmountable task! I sent my dad an email today and mentioned that I was going crazy packing, and his response was, “Love the dumpster!!!!!” Literally, that is some copy-paste action. Thanks, Dad.
Now I must hit the sack so I can get up and PACK! Wahoo!
Russian tidbit of the day!
This is a total cop-out, since it isn’t my own work at all. But I found this “article” on “10 Things Never to Say or Do in Russia.” I knew most of them, but didn’t know what a horrible thing it would be to burp in public! And that it’s even worse excuse yourself if you do burp!
A couple other odds and ends:
- Never sit on the sidewalk, curb, or street. It is dirty, and a little old lady may very well whack you with her bag or umbrella–especially if you are a girl. (As evidence to this tip’s veracity, Carlye got hit by some lady’s umbrella for sitting on the curb!)
- When getting into a theater seat or any tightly packed seating in rows, face the person you are passing instead of putting your back to them. It is rude to put your rear end in someone’s face while trying to take a seat!
- If you give someone flowers as a gift, give an odd number of stems. Giving an even number of flowers is considered bad luck and is only used for funeral bouquets. (So much for a dozen roses, eh?)
- Swearing is a lot more serious business in Russian than in English and can get you into trouble. Nowadays, young people might use swear words with each other, but only with close friends and in jest. People who use swears are looked down on a lot more; when I did study abroad they actually taught us swears so that we would not accidentally say them in public!
That little pie is so cute!
Be careful in the Red Land (can I say that? I don’t think so…). I don’t want you to get whacked by those old ladies!
Yay, Chinese! I need me some of that. Good luck packing, darling.
Guess what? A lady is calling me today about becoming a preschool teacher! How cuuuute would that be?
Yay for DELISH chinese food! So good! I am a terrible procrastinator while packing – ugh. Got to start doing that this week myself….
So excited to hear about your adventures!
your sun kissed pizza looks good, sorry you werent feelin’ it in the taste buds department. so nice of you to treat the roomies! and hilarious odds and ends, who knew? not me.
ahhh i can’t believe i had this much to catch up and you leave in TWO days! soooooooooo exciting! btw – where in russia will you be?
lots of yummy eats, which are totally necessary when one is leaving the country. i think i ate dairy queen everyday just to get my fix before going to thailand.
i am sooo excited for you and can’t wait to read about your russian adventures – i packed up for thailand in the 5 days i had after returning from europe. you make it work.
happy humpday!
mmm that snack looks amazing!
I feel your pain… I hate packing too!! But hey, you’re almost done! 🙂
❤ ❤
I burst out laughing at your dad’s comment… Mine said something pretty much identical when I was moving!
That pie is so cute! Cottage cheese- k, it’s not everyone’s thing. But I think you should try it again- mix it with raisins, chopped red onion and thousand island dressing. I am telling you, it’s AWESOME!
Now I want Chinese food!