Movies, Groceries, Living

I'm staying in a "corporate" apartment until my "real" apartment is ready for me to move in. This "corporate" apartment is something between a hotel room and a real apartment. I have a real kitchen, with kitchen stuff, but was without dish detergent and napkins until I actually bought my own. There is a washer and dryer, but I had to get my own clothes detergent and fabric softener. I even had to buy my own toilet paper. Thankfully they include wireless internet and cable TV.

Whoever lived here before I did didn't seem to forward their mail (since May!); I found letters from lawyers, a justice of the peace, the election commission, a collection agency, and a card from the Sheriff's office stating a warrant had been issued.  I returned all the mail, but I'm now curious as to what that person's story was.  The guy's wife received a couple magazines, including an alumni magazine, and an appointment reminder card for their dentist.

I've sampled a couple grocery stores in the area, although it will be a while before I have an opinion on them all. Albertsons' is about the same as it is anywhere else, although I was impressed with their cheese selection and amused by their special on "crab cheese dip". I went to Central Market today, which is somewhat on the spectrum of Trader Joes and Whole Foods, leaning towards Whole Foods without the snooty attitude and the prices that go with it. I was most excited that they seem to stock a variety of British foodstuffs that I'm fond of there, and they have a most impressive bakery and cheese selection. I will probably visit Tom Thumb and Krogers eventually, but I think Central Market is where I will do most of my grocery shopping.

I've heard lots of people here shop at Wal-Mart, but after escaping a Wal-Mart-only kind of town I refuse to shop there. Thankfully Target will suffice for those things I can't get at Central Market.

I went to see Captain America at the local AMC here, and the experience was somewhat of a disappointment. I guess I got spoiled on Arclight Cinemas in Los Angeles. Luckily I've been told that the Angelika Film Center here in both Dallas and Plano show art and foreign films and is probably more on par with what I'm used to. I'll have to catch a film sometime this week to find out.

I went out to dinner the other night; I sampled the sushi offerings at Sushi Sake.  They have some really fantastic spicy tuna, but the albacore I had tasted a little off.  I do recommend their Spanish Makerel, get it as sashimi and have the chef deep fry the rest.  It's a real treat.  At least I can get decent sushi here!  I was lamenting the fact that I might not get to have some of my favorite foods as often as I might otherwise.

I'm quite homesick and miss my boyfriend a lot. We were constant companions before I moved and it's hard to not have that camaraderie to fall back on. Skype and the phone are nice, but it's not the same.

I've been going to yoga as often as I can; I found Sunstone Yoga and I can at least say that the sessions are helping me adapt to the Texas heat. After my workout I walk out of the studio into 100-degree weather and feel cold. I still sweat when I'm outside, but at least I don't feel absolutely uncomfortable.  In fact, this has been my greatest surprise (and delight) in moving to Dallas: the heat isn't as oppressive as I thought it was going to be.  Considering we are in the midst of a heat wave, I take that to be a good thing.

Virgin America Rocks!

I flew out to Dallas for good this week. I had a one-way ticket on Virgin America, and I have to admit it's an awesome airline. The overhead bins are extra big, even the coach/business class seats are upholstered in leatherette and you can order snacks and beverage service from the personal TV screen in front of you. Not to mention the free wi-fi (which I did not take advantage of).

Even the stewards and stewardesses are extra nice, as well as the people at the ticketing counter. The boarding passes (if you get a "real" one) are the perfect size as well! It's just a very well thought-out, well implemented business. I'll definitely be flying with Virgin America again.