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Hunt’s and Heinz

Brad — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:28:12 +0000

I made the double recipe of Calico Beans last night. It was huge! It called for three cups of ketchup. I rarely have ketchup at home because the places I order food from always offer it for free. Since I was buying some, I decided to get a bottle of Heinz and a bottle of Hunt’s, because I’ve been curious for a long time about the difference. Here are my findings:

Hunt’s: smelled like vinegar, was quick to come out of the bottle, and tasted sweet. It reminded me of tomato soup.

Heinz: smelled like vinegar, was thicker, and tasted sharp and salty. It made me think of french fries.

In the end, I don’t think I would be able to tell which of the two I was using if I just got it from some restaurant. But Heinz tasted more familiar. Maybe more of the places I usually eat at use Heinz.

Pork and Beans and Flowers

Brad — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:10:13 +0000

I went to the grocery store yesterday to get ingredients for a recipe. It called for pork and beans. I stood in the bean aisle for quite a while searching. I needed four one-pound cans. Nothing like that existed. There were 15 ounce cans of pork and beans, and there were seven pound cans of pork and beans. The rest of the beans were called “baked beans” or “beans with bacon” or “beans with chipotle salsa”. Where the heck were the pork and beans? I just got some 15 ounce cans. I hope it’s okay that I’m four ounces short on the pork and beans.

I also got an indulgence while at the grocery store: I bought cut flowers. I had to get some oriental lilies. I LOVE them. Their smell makes me happy. Their price usually puts a quash on the whole thing, but yesterday I didn’t care. They were worth their eight dollars, by golly! They’ll last for a week or so. And one dollar per day isn’t so bad.

Forty, Point Oh-Eight-Three Repeating

Brad — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:25:39 +0000

This week is National Lutheran Schools Week. We always do fun dress days for the occasion. This year we have some new ones. I’m glad. It gives me new challenges.

Yesterday was “Dress Like a Teacher Day”. Us teachers said we were going to dress like students. I even wore glasses to make me look more studenty. But when I got to school, all the other teachers were wearing a white shirt and a tie. They were dressed like me! Then the students started arriving. They were also all dressed like me. What was going on? Well, yesterday was March 8… exactly one month after my birthday. They had wanted to surprise me like this on my birthday, but we weren’t in school because of the snow. So they did it yesterday. It was hilarious! I should have had some clue. The paper above says “Dress like a CERTAIN teacher”. Hehe…

House Number

Brad — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:55:49 +0000

My house didn’t have any house number on it when I moved in. I addressed the problem at first by gluing some brass numbers to a big rock. It looked nice, but was a little hard to see. Recently, one of the numbers came unglued. I knew it was time for a more permanent fix. I ordered a house number plaque that I could actually attach to the wall.

There was a choice of shape, size, and color. I wanted it to be visible, so the color decision was pretty easy. The shape decision was a little harder. I wanted something formal, but would it look more Victorian than Edwardian? That would be disastrous! I nervously awaited its arrival.

The plaque came this past week. It’s been sitting in my living room for several days, but I finally got it put up. I like how it looks. And it was so easy to hang, I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner.

Home and Garden Show

Brad — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:56:35 +0000

Yesterday I went to the “Home and Garden Show” at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. I try to go every year because it’s a breath of spring at the beginning of March and is very helpful in surviving late winter.

This year’s show is as good as ever. There were lots of plants, which I never buy because they’re expensive and because it’s too cold to plant them now so I’d have to keep them inside and my sunny windows are already taken. The food court is always great. The “home” part of the show is fun, but a little scary. It’s filled with people selling windows and siding and air conditioner systems. They’re a little aggressive. It’s important not to make eye contact.

The one thing I did consider seriously buying was a set of “indestructible” drill bits. Actually, the guy said they weren’t really indestructible, but they had a lifetime warranty and could be replaced if they ever broke. I watched most of his demonstration as he drilled through concrete, then metal, then ceramic. I was impressed. I wanted them. But the set of bits was $90 and I’m into the “lean” part of my pay period. Dang.

Landscaping companies show off their talents by each constructing a small exhibition of their work. The most clever one was this:

I also took a picture of the fountain with a flash. Isn’t the difference interesting?