First Week In Review

So, I've officially finished my first week in my new city. It was really a smooth transition into my new job, new home and new city, other than locking the cat in the linen closet by accident of course. (That's another post for another day.)

Tuesday was my official first day of work and like any good organization, Tuesdays are for staff meeting. There was major food at this meeting. I'm not sure if this is the normal approach to staff meetings but I like it! Apparently there is a major approach underway to radically alter the make-up of the board of directors for my organization. So, most of the meeting was spent trying to figure out ways to circumvent this attempted coup de tat and make plans for the major board meeting and vote scheduled to take place on Monday. This office also does secret pals and this past Tuesday was their "reveal." Each of them had presents for their secret pal and to make sure I didn't feel left out, they got me a Starbucks gift card. Major score!

The rest of the week was pretty mundane. Get up, go to work, work hard all day trying to make heads or tails of my project, go home, crash and then repeat the next day. Friday night after work, I decided to change it up a bit. I got directions and headed out to Buckhead to find Lenox Mall. Well, I missed Lenox but ended up at Phipps. Same difference since the store I wanted was in both places. Phipps is one nice place. I plan to go back and explore the stores at both Phipps and Lennox...Nordstrom, Filene's Basement, Williams-Sonoma and more. My GPS lady and I managed to find our way home quite nicely.

Yesterday I slept in and then headed out to run errands. I am thoroughly enjoying having more than one grocery store. I have a whole new appreciation for southernsavers.com now that I have Kroger and Publix close by. Ran to Kroger yesterday morning for those staples they had on sale. Brought those home and headed back out to one of my favorite stores on earth...IKEA. If you've never been, plan a trip to visit me and we'll go. I had a list of things I wanted to find and outside of a replacement CD tower, they didn't disappoint. I also came home with an additional item, a set of recycling bags to use at my local recycling place (more on that in a bit). After IKEA, I headed to my local Target. It's in a place kind of like Patton Creek (for those Bham people) only more crowded and not as well laid out. Have to try and find a different Target. This one is too crowded and the in/out system is NUTS. After Target, I headed to what Publix.com says is my local Publix. Have to find a different Publix. This one is small and horribly laid out. I had only a few items but the cashier insisted on scrutinizing each coupon I had. You'd have thought the money was coming directly from her paycheck. Then, the bagger used one of my cloth bags put started putting other stuff in plastic. I was thinking, um...I brought canvas bags and I expect you to USE them. I made him take the stuff out of the plastic bags and put it in canvas. To me, it's not an environmental thing, it's an ease of getting everything into the apartment thing. Canvas is better for that hands-down.

Today brought another first. Dekalb County, the county where I live has a well-known international farmers' market. It is 144,000 square feet of fruits, veggies, spices, crackers, cookies, breads, meats, seafood, cheese, etc. They had fruits and veggies from all over the world some of which I'd never even heard of. They even have pure sugar cane still in the stalks. Can't get much fresher than that! There is a large section of spices from all over and packaged much like a co-op would do it. VERY large section of organic grains and regular grains. I wandered through their bakery area to see what they offer and decided to check out their wares by bringing home some chocolate cream cheese croissants and a half a loaf of raisin bread. I figure it's pretty hard to screw up chocolate and cream cheese. :-) They also have a huge cheese selection, again with varieties I've never heard of. I got a small block of colby and monterey jack to try and it is delicious. Definitely better than anything I've had from a grocery or specialty store. If you like fresh fruits, veggies, etc. come visit and we'll make a trip over.

The farmers' market is also the site for local recycling. They take newspapers, plastic, steel cans, glass, phone books, etc. It is incredibly convenient and I can't wait to make use of it!

All-in-all, I've had a great first week. Still haven't found churches to visit but I'm still searching. Passion City Church doesn't meet again until 6/27 so I'm having to wait on that one. Any suggestions from the peanut gallery would be greatly appreciated.

Til next time...