ALDI, Whaaa???

A new grocery store is being built down the street from my house. It's something I have never heard of before. ALDI. I had no idea what to expect. My hope is that it would be another Whole Foods or Central Market type of grocery store, but I am not sure. I saw the first commercial for it tonight so I got curious and went to the wonderful world wide web to check it out. I am skeptical, like I am with all things I am unsure of. From what I read, here is how ALDI is different:

~To use a grocery cart, you have to put a 25 cent deposit into the cart in order to "check it out" of the stall and use it. Yes, you get that quarter back when you return it to the stall, but still...who carries cash or a lot of change anymore? To their defense, they do say with this system, they don't have to assign an employee to round up carts in the parking lot, thus saving money.

~They encourage shoppers to bring their own bags, by charging 5 cents for paper bags and 10 cents for bigger (heavier duty) bags. I like this option, I think all stores should go to this.

~ALDI does not accept checks, which I think is a good thing. I hate being slowed down behind the old lady writing a check. But with that, ALDI also does not accept credit cards. ALDI only accepts cash, food stamps/EBT cards, and PIN-based debit cards. What about people who use American Express, etc. as their main method of payment because of the rewards?

~ALDI carries mostly private label brands. ALDI will carry some national brands, but these are usually “special buys”—limited-time offers of products, that ALDI claims, score you huge savings, but are only available while supplies last.

The concept is definately different than what we are used to in Texas. It has potential to be great, or fail. I do hope it does well. I like the "green" aspect of it but I am not sure of the "private label" part of it. I am all for generic paper towels and private label (which is fancy for generic) items, but from stores I trust and shop at frequently...like Tom Thumb.

The only other time I remember adjusting to a new store was when CVS expanded to our area. Before that I had only seen CVS in Long Island, NY. I thought it was strange how it had carpet. I was so used to Eckerd Drugs. That was THE drugstore when I was a kid.

ALDI opens by my house this spring. It will be interesting to see how it does.

www.aldifoods.com

It's Not What You Think Your Eating

I saw this on the news tonight. Fox News reported about New York High School students that did a science project about food. The question at hand was, is the food we eat really what it says it is? They worked with a NY University to extract DNA of their samples. What did they find?

1. A product labeled "anchovy" came back as Protosalanx chinensis, which is actually not anchovy but a type of smelt fish.

2. One item was labeled "red snapper," but the DNA testing showed it was Lutjanus malabaricus, which is actually a different type of fish called the Malabar blood.

3. At a specialty store, a product labeled "sheep's milk cheese" was tested and proven to be cheese made with cow's milk.

4. Another item labeled "sturgeon caviar" was tested and the DNA came back as Plyodon spathula, a fish commonly known as the Mississippi paddlefish.

5. "Pacific Ocean smelt" was what was advertised in the store, but the DNA testing proved it was actually Odontesthes gracilis. It is not smelt, but a silverside family of fish.

6. "Frozen yellow catfish" DNA tested as Odontesthes gracilis. According to the fish database, this is not yellow catfish.

7. A dog treat labeled as "venison" (deer meat) tested as beef.

8. A fish sample that was labeled "mackerel" was tested and came back as Sardinella atricauda, a fish commonly known as Bleeker's black tip sardinella.

9. One product that was labeled "Jewfish" came back with DNA that showed it was actually Nemipterus furcosus, a fish commonly known as fork-tail threadfin bream.

10. A product labeled in Chinese translated to "Branchiostoma lancelet amphioxus, but DNA tests proved it was Salangichthys microdon, a fish commonly known as Japanese ice fish.

Yes, a lot of fish, but you can click here to see their full study.

Short Falls

I am 5'1" tall and there is nothing I can do about it...unless I live in China. Lisa Ling reported on a recent Oprah show about the new trends in cosmetic surgery in China. She said people are actually heightening by having their legs broken and stretched. You can grow anywhere from a few inches to a full foot. Amazing, but not without 6 months of recovery and pain. People are electing to have this extreme surgery all because height is a big deal in China. Jobs, Education Acceptance, Dating, etc. all depend on how tall you are. If that were the case here in the US, I would be jobless, stupid (hush), and single. Of course this elective torture is not cheap. It runs anywhere from $10K to $40K.

I have heard of this done in the States for little people (is that the right term these days?), but I couldn't imagine doing something this insane. Things like this make me glad to be part of Western culture.

Virtual Friends

Sunday Bloggy Sunday. Only two posts today, but feels like a lot. Anyway I was just thinking...These days it is easier to be friends with more people. I think the quality has gone out of friendship however. With applications and conveiniences like Facebook, email, texting, etc. it does make it easier to keep in touch with friends and family, but it also makes it not as personal. Just a thought.

Memories, Like The Corner Of My Mind...

I had lunch with my mom the other day and she mentioned how it had been like a strange blast from the past for her over the past week, seeing people she lost touch with and catching up on old friends. That night I dreamt of my old neighborhood and my friends from elementary school and jr. high. So today I had some time to kill because of a change in plans, so I made an exit off the highway and a detour into my old neighborhood. It was a nostalgic look back. I was suprised at how much I remembered about what friends lived where and even what streets lead to others, etc. I was able to remember what the insides of these houses looked like and I remembered what my friends and I would do around the neighborhood. It seemed like it was just yesterday but so long ago. Funny too that all the houses that I thought were so big and "fancy" didn't look so big, or fancy anymore. My old house looked much smaller than I remembered and it even looked like the people living there still had the same window treatments in the gameroom window. Odd. I also wondered if any of the families were still living in these houses. Every house I knew had a story and a memory. I guess we really didn't live their that long. I want to say it was from 1983 to 1989, but it seemed like a lifetime.

Looking back things were so simple and innocent back then. So much has changed with my family and even my friends families. It's somewhat sad to think we had no idea what the future held. Good or bad. Some friends lost sisters, moms, dads, and some families are broken by divorice now. Things definately are not as they were and certainly won't be in another 20 years.

Some random things that come to mind when thinking of that time period for me...

Flippy McFlipperson...That's Me!!

So my last post said I didn't want to move. I didn't want to leave my wonderful, comfortable home. Well give it a couple days and like the Texas weather, I will change. See, this is why it's not good for me to make big decisions. I am so worried about making the right one, that I basically can't decide. Now I am worried that if we don't sell now we will regret it. Our front bedrooms are small and there is nothing I can do about that. We actually have buyers who don't care. Imagine that. Next time we decide to sell will we be able to? I hate the unknown. I can't do big decisions. That is why I wash my hands in this and told Frank I am happy with whatever HE decides. I'll know Monday.

Home Is Where The Heart Is?

Is home really where the heart is? Most would probably say yes, but I'm gonna go with no and I'll explain why in a minute. We have had our house for sell since September of 2009. We had not had much traffic and zero offers (mostly due to the holiday season), then as soon as 2010 hit we have had several showings a week with 2 offers. The first offer fell through and we are in negotiations with our 2nd offer. What sucks though is that it is not a good time right now for us to move. Frank has so much going on with work and traveling a lot. My work is also crazy right now.

Here's the deal. We put our house up for sell and I didn't want to, but I kind of had to due to other things going on at the time. Then I was on board. Well, now that we have had a lot of activity and a couple offers, I'm kind of freakin out. Our house is really nice. We don't have to move. There is no new job we need to move for and we are not growing our family, etc. etc. etc. So my thing is that I am kind of scared thinking we are not making the right decision. We kind of know the area we want to move to, but we will have to rent before we buy then who knows if we will be able to find something as nice as what we have now for the price we got this house for?

So many thoughts going through my head right now. This has been my home for the last 7 1/2 years. We have put a lot into it making it how we want it. I feel so comfortable here. Thinking about leaving makes me a little teary eyed. So while some say 'Home Is Where The Heart Is', I can't say that would be the case for me. To me, home is where I am comfortable and familiar. Honestly, I am not ready for this. I don't want to leave my home.