Monthly Archives: May 2014

The Little Changes (but big)

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If it ever seemed that South Carolina wasn’t my home I can positively say that is not the case anymore. On this beautiful Saturday afternoon I can say that I have lived here for several days. I have worked out at the campus gym four times. I have started my job and got my feet wet. It has sunk in that I live in the south and that I am a Chanticleer.

Besides the big changes there are also the smaller changes. However, even though they are smaller when it comes in terms of life significance it doesn’t mean they don’t bring about a degree of hassle. I am talking about items such as an address change. Or an e-mail change. Or an employee identification number change. Or a locker and locker combination change. These things not only make you ditch familiarity they also force you to memorize new digits and words. It takes some getting used to.

But out of all these smaller changes there is one that topped them all for me. Yesterday I was handed a brand new iPhone 5S. With that phone also came a brand new phone number too. Yep, I am a bona fide South Carolina resident now!

The number I said goodbye to yesterday was previously the only personal phone number I had ever known. When I was a 17 year old high school senior I received my first cell phone with an area code 509 number I used up until yesterday morning. The University of Montana allowed me to keep my number when I got placed on their account for work because I was already under the Verizon family. But with a new provider in a new part of the country it was time that I got a new number.

Yesterday I got my new phone with my new number.

Yesterday I got my new phone with my new number.

I have spent the past 24 hours notifying my family and necessary entities that rely on my phone number for contact about the change. I haven’t even started reaching out to my friends yet. With that said, please contact me via Facebook Message or Twitter Direct Message if you would like my new number.

I am in the middle of my first weekend here in Myrtle Beach. After a good workout in the rec center this morning I got to run on the University’s outdoor track. I also did some more moving necessities such as ordering checks from my new bank and making a trip to the post office. Don’t worry, I managed to sneak a little pool time in too. Tonight I am off to a great local Myrtle Beach restaurant that overlooks the ocean. I am hungry and excited.

Since I am having a good weekend it is only fair that you have a good weekend as well. Have fun, stay safe, and enjoy some relaxation. Thank you so much for reading my blog. Don’t Blink.

The Top Five Things I Buy At Costco

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CNBC just showed a special on Costco so of course I can’t get the warehouse store out of my mind. I love Costco. However my love doesn’t ignite a fire hot enough to make me buckle down and pay the membership fee. Like a first class moocher I have relied on friends and family to get me through the doors of the place for years. Perhaps now that I am in South Carolina, with no family and no friends as of yet, I might make the sacrifice and purchase a membership. You see, there are some items I really like at Costco.

For this blog post I want to give you the five items I purchase the most at Costco. So without any more chatter let me give you my list in no particular order.

Muffins: About once every two months I will do the mix and match deal where you get to pick two packs of six muffins each in the bakery. I always go chocolate for one of the packs and then either apple crumb, banana nut, or blueberry for the second six. I freeze them at my place and then for two weeks I will wake up looking forward to breakfast! I will take one out of the freezer, throw it in the microwave for 20 seconds to unthaw it just a little, and then eat it relatively cold. BONUS: Down south they have a different flavor of muffin you can’t get out west…corn muffins!! Yes, the jumbo Costco sized muffins also come in the corn variety.

Me with some frozen Apple Crumb Costco muffins.

Me with some frozen Apple Crumb Costco muffins.

Cheese: Costco sells a cheese variety pack that is awesome. They put two pounds of thickly cut squares of cheese into plastic wrapping, a perfect snack item. Many times I will add some squares of cheese to my dinner or when I take a rare break from peanut butter I will layer my sandwiches with the cheese slices. The variety pack includes French swiss, creamy harvard, Dutch gouda, and my personal favorite…aged cheddar.

This is the cheese pack that Costco sells.

This is the cheese pack that Costco sells.

Pub Mix: Costco offers a snack mix that I can’t stop eating once I start. I don’t know how to describe the pieces that make up the mix because they are kind of obscure but pretzels are included…and then you got about four other heavily salted items. I started to chow down on this stuff when we would hold basketball tournaments at Montana. In our hospitality room we would always have a tub and my obsession started.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches: In western Costcos they sold a microwavable cheesesteak sub. A box contained six sandwiches and if you happened to put a little Sriracha on it you had something pretty special. I would buy a box and have a sandwich for lunch on the weekend. When I visited the Myrtle Beach Costco I couldn’t find my beloved philly cheesesteak subs but I opted for the BBQ beef steak sandwiches (coincidentally an item I never saw out west).

The Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches from the west turned into Beef Steak sandwiches in the east.

The Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches from the west turned into Beef Steak sandwiches in the east.

Hot Dogs from the Food Stand: It doesn’t matter if you are on the west coast, east coast, or no coast you will always find Costco’s signature hot dog at the store’s food stand. Oversized, tasty, and only $1.50 with a drink included you really can’t beat it. I have ate Costco dogs from when I was a little kid up until now and next time I go to Costco I am sure I will order another one.

The only way I am getting back to Costco anytime soon is if I bite the bullet and invest in a membership. With a store only five minutes from my place I think I am going in that direction. I just hope that particular Costco can pick up its samples game because it was pretty weak a few days ago. Don’t Blink.