It was a dark and stormy night

It was a dark and stormy night. Sounds like the beginning of a novel.

Actually, it is a dark and stormy night in Tucson. As I write this, thousands of people are without power and the wind is howling. It's also dark outside.

Our power is still on. We're a few blocks east of the eastern boundary of the power outage.

Earlier tonight, the usual dinner and grocery store run took place. I was solo today because Anthony wasn't feeling like going anywhere. That poor guy suffers from occasional anxiety and most of the time he fights through it. Today wasn't one of those days.

I ate dinner at Culver's alone. I wasn't really alone, the dining room was pretty full of people. But none of them asked me how my day was or ate the pickle slice I normally give Anthony because I don't care for pickles.

Anthony gave me a list for the grocery store of the stuff he wanted. I always worry that I'm going to get the wrong thing when he sends a list with me and he'll be annoyed when I come home. Apparently I did fine today, he was only annoyed that I was giving the dog cheese out of the refrigerator while I was putting away the groceries.

Hopefully the power stays on through the night. It's no fun sleeping without power. Sure, the lights are off but there's the what-if I wanted to turn one on and I can't.

The seat Anthony would have been sitting in
if he came with me to eat dinner

Cinnamon Bun Oreos and Margarita air fresheners

Another weekend just flew by.

Saturday was a really lazy day -- I got plenty of napping in. Sunday started with eggs and cinnamon rolls lovingly prepared by Anthony, then a bath for Lucky, some laundry, dinner at Jersey Mike's, and grocery shopping.

Scrambled eggs and cinnamon rolls
cooked by Anthony, eaten by Ken.

Chicken bacon ranch cheese steak sandwich
at Jersey Mike's.
I'll never understand why so many sub shops
think customers want half a head of lettuce
on their sandwich.

Walmart Neighborhood Market was out of honey buns!
I believe this signals an impending apocalypse.

Betty Crocker cupcake mixes:
Pina Colada and Raspberry Mojito
Beer flavored cupcakes are next.

Oreo Cinnamon Bun cookies.
I actually bought these, they're wonderful.

Birthday frosting filled Chips Ahoy
Frosting isn't just for on top of stuff anymore.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Chips Ahoy
Only 140 calories per two cookies.
But who just eats two cookies?

Pine tree air fresheners are soooo old school.
Now, the trees come in scents like Black Ice (which I assume
is like black licorice), Vanillaroma, Coconut, and Margarita.
"No officer, I haven't been drinking, my car smells like
margaritas because of my pine tree air freshener".
There's a drunk driver's wet dream.

Micro house in the parking lot

A company that builds micro houses brought one to the TV station today and let the staff tour it. The thing is transportable like an RV trailer but looks like a house sliced in half.

In case you're wondering, it'll only set you back $77,000 and won't fit in a fast food drive thru.

The micro house in the KGUN parking lot
being pulled by a pickup truck

I should buy one and park it at work.
It would make my commute really short.

Standard size appliances in a kitchen
that would be appropriate for an apartment

Another view from inside.
Terri leaning against the TV not included
in the regular purchase price.

Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie

It's Sunday -- which is dinner and grocery shopping day for Anthony and I.

Dinner was at Raising Cane's, the chicken strip place near Park Place Mall. We've eaten there once before and this experience was pretty much the same. The chicken is good, the fries are average, and the prices are not as cheap as I'd like ($21-ish for the two of us). But, Anthony wanted chicken so chicken is what he got.

We did our grocery shopping at the usual Walmart Neighborhood Market location we shop at.

The item I spotted at the grocery store that got me briefly excited was the Patti Labelle Sweet Potato Pie that was so hard to get around Thanksgiving. I wanted to buy it but Anthony was so not interested that I knew I'd have to eat the whole thing by myself if I purchased it. I plowed through two whole pies by myself around Thanksgiving a few months ago (took me two weeks) and it's a lot of pressure to eat that much pie without help. I wasn't going to subject myself to that again.

Dinner at Raising Cane's

These crazy Duff cake mixes must sell well
since they have a bunch of them now at Walmart
including Tiger Stripes, Tie-Dye Swirls, and Camouflage.

Ham with my name in it:
KENtucky!

Umbrellas: "I fit perfectly in your purse!"
sounds like a date I've had

Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie
Since Anthony wouldn't help me eat it
all I could do was take a picture.

First visit to Kneaders Bakery and Cafe

Anthony and I tried a new (to us) restaurant last night: Kneaders Bakery and Cafe at Broadway and Wilmot.

The interior is a little bit "homey" and a little bit contemporary. They have a fireplace in the dining room, shiny tile floors, and lots of wood. (I like lots of wood... ahem).

It's sandwiches, salads, soups, and baked goods like fancy bread and pastries. We were going to eat at Raising Cane's next door but that place was a zoo, so we ate at Kneaders since they were less busy.

I had a roast beef sandwich on Country White bread, Anthony had a croissant sandwich. The combos come with choices like chips and a pastry.

They also have cute little gifts for sale like a Cracker Barrel. But, unlike Cracker Barrel, there isn't a section of the building where the hustle is on to sell you something. It's more subtle at Kneaders.

It seems more like a lunch place than dinner joint unless you like a lunchmeat sandwich for dinner. But, I'd eat there again. The food was pretty good.

Interior of Kneaders Bakery and Cafe
with a fireplace in the middle

Cookies, pastries, brownies

Pastry case on the right while waiting
our turn to order

Anthony checks out owl salt and pepper shakers

Turkey cranberry croissant sandwich, salad, chips
and a brownie for Anthony

Roast beef sandwich on Country White bread,
citrus cannoli, and chips for me

A hunk o' pumpkin bread

I need a dessert case like this in my house

Big box of Thin Mints

The Girls Scouts of Southern Arizona were a guest on the TV show today to remind everyone that the annual Girl Scout cookie sale is underway.

They were kind enough to bring us some cookies. I got a box. A really BIG box.

I only need one box of Thin Mints this year

How I scored new sheets for free

Anthony was back in the passenger seat for the drive to dinner and groceries tonight. We also went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to shop for new bedding today.

The magical part of today's shopping was how I scored free bed sheets. The set we chose at Bed Bath and Beyond was $200.00 for a nice set of 750 thread count sheets. We really needed new ones and I decided to splurge. Fast forward to when we were leaving Fry's Market and on a whim I bought a $20 Arizona Lottery scratcher ticket. When we arrived home, I scratched the card and won $200. That paid for the sheets!

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Following Anthony into Bed Bath and Beyond
on a quest for new bedding

It's soooo difficult to decide but we did
end up with a new $200 750 thread count sheet set

Dinner at Smashburger on Grant Road

Like a jackass, I accidentally spilled my soda
on the floor.

My bacon cheeseburger Smashburger and fries

Anthony still eats his fries with a fork
like a cultured human being

Call the police. I'd like to report a salt on a table.

Anthony picks out a tomato at Fry's Market

Pretending to eat an onion whole

I used to eat sandwiches with Ham and Cheese Loaf
quite often when I was a kid.
They put both together to save time!

Purple lawn chairs above the freezers.
You can't buy one unless you're nine feet tall to reach up there.

Scratching off the Arizona Lottery scratcher ticket

Look what I've got! A winner!

That's the $200 winning square! Free sheets!

The search for new eyeglasses

It's been nearly a year and a half since my last eye exam. I thought it was time to get a check up and look for a stylish new pair of glasses. I'm getting more blind as I get older. Sigh.

I tried on a bunch of different frames before deciding on a pair to order at Accent On Vision. I've been going to this optometrist since I moved to Tucson in 2001 and they're always really nice and take every variation of vision insurance that I've had.

Here are the photos I shot while I was there... including selfies of the various frames I tried on.

Accent On Vision on Oracle Road

Plenty of frames to choose from

The inside of my eye.
It's pretty ugly but it's healthy.

Frames I tried on at Accent On Vision.
These were a candidate.

Too similar to the pair I wear most often now.

Sophia Petrillo frames

These make me look too much like a gay fashion designer

Too small for my giant fat head

I'll save these until I'm grandpa age

1930 called and wants their frames back

Nope

I kind of liked these.
They complimented the contour of my head

These were a candidate

Another pair that made me look 80 years old

I liked these.
I'd need to buy a purse to match.

Nope.

I also liked these.

These were a strong candidate.
I could pass for a poor Steve Jobs.

In the end, I chose these Oakleys.
I thought they were distinctive and very me.
Winner!