Way Station

-


After spending a lovely 30 days in Florida that seemed (like it always does) to go by faster than it should, we now find ourselves in D.C..

I'm not complaining, mind you. This is an extended stay in the U.S. for training before we head off to the new post. If it were a tour here, I would probably be complaining because D.C. isn't cheap. But we're not, so hooray for that. So far we've had the chance to spend time with friends from other posts since arriving, and visit the museums. As both kids enjoy walking, we are taking advantage of that fact because it is easy to walk wherever you need to go. And if it's too far to walk, there's the metro. Which the kids love to take because 'TRAIN'!

The only thing which has been a bit troublesome is grocery shopping. In the before times, I used to look at grocery shopping as something easily completed in one trip, at one store. Now, after a number of years shopping for groceries on the local economy overseas, I have come to the realization that maybe (just maybe) that memory of one-stop shopping was wrong. Because since we arrived I have visited a number of stores (and ordered online) to get everything we were looking for. Also, and this might be in part due to age and lack of a car, I have no desire to make multiple trips lugging my groceries (while wrangling two very active children) on foot from the nearest grocer to our apartment. Now before you say, "You can rent a Zipcar!" or other similar service- I know. I have an account with Zipcar. But the cost of renting a car by the hour (where the hourly cost begins as soon as you rent it):

finding said rented car
installing the car seats
getting the kids in
getting to the store
shopping
getting out with everything (including kids!)
getting back to the apartment
hauling it up to the apartment
getting the car seats out
driving the car back

is greater than what it would cost to just buy your large order of groceries online and have them deliver it to you for a fee significantly cheaper than the total cost of the rental. Which is about ten bucks (at most, before tip from Peapod), in case you were wondering.

So that's what I did. I know, I'm lazy. First world problems. But then I realized something once I got that order. Not everything should be ordered online. Like fruit. Or deli meats. OR ICE CREAM*. Learn from my mistakes people!

*Pro tip: You might want to buy your Ben & Jerry's (or for that matter ANY ice cream) in person, because it's going to arrive in liquid format if you order it online with your groceries. Just saying.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tutorial: Repairing the dust cover on your furniture or box spring bed.

-
Image
Do you have a pet or small child that has trashed the underside of your Drexel or bed? Are you nearing your PCS and looking to fix the damage before somebody comes by to inspect your furniture for damage and bill you accordingly? Then today's tutorial is for you! This is a pretty easy repair to perform on your furniture, and the materials you will be using are inexpensive. All you need are the supplies, time and patience. Let's begin. What you will need: staple gun and staples scissors flat head screwdriver Sharpie or similar permanent marker needle nosed pliers material for the dust cover - you can use the internet and get yourself Cambric Uphol Fabric , or you can use black landscaping fabric , which gardeners use to line their flower bed (and protect plants from weeds) if you have a local supplier at post. . As you can see from the photo above, this ottoman's dust cover has met with an unfortunate fate. In this shot I have already removed two o...
Read more

Modo dictu

-
Image
 As mentioned in an earlier post, we went home on R&R to Florida for the holidays. It was awesome, and the weather was pretty amazing our entire time there. We did it for the usual reasons (family, friends...holiday at home!). Getting a break from the air pollution ( which was horrible our first year at post in the winter ) was a goal as well. We also went back for medical checkups. You might be saying to yourself, "Why would anybody go home on R&R and get routine medical exams done?"   Maybe you've never run into this problem before at a post during your FSLife, yet. I know how it sounds. I have thought the exact same thing, word for word , in response to someone else saying it to me. It's ok if you think i'm just a crazy crank who is never happy and or paranoid after reading that. I have some days when I think that, too. But for those of you who don't know or have not guessed it yet, the answer is because post does not have local providers on t...
Read more

Zen and the art of Drexel maintenance.

-
Image
As we near the end of our time here in Sarajevo, the urgency of 'getting stuff done before packout'  has increased. One of those things would be the furniture we don't own, but have to take care of while we're at post. The Drexel. So, if you are getting ready for you first post, already at your first post, or an old hand at this but looking for other ideas to make your life easier (and take less of a hit on your pocketbook at the end of a tour), keep reading.  I like saving money, and I don't like to spend it on things I don't have to (like damages to furniture I don't own), so I try to keep embassy furniture as clean as possible over the course of a tour. This is no easy feat because the furniture has a tendency to wear easily (poor fabric, weak seams, poorly designed casters, etc.). But when you add kids, you are pretty much guaranteed stains, all the time. That you will need to clean, all the time. So, this week has been solely focused on fixing ...
Read more