Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you are in line to indict donald trump, stay in line.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

T R E 4 5 O N

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

‘Museums aren’t America’s attic for its racist shit.’

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

This really is a full service blog.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

If marriage is the equivalent of selling yourself into slavery, women with self respect should reject the offer.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

In my day, never was longer.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

President Biden is doing good where he can, and getting it done.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Republicans don’t trust women.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Biden: Oh no. We’ve upset Big Pharma again.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "Stories from the Road" / At Home in Tempe

At Home in Tempe

by | 70 Comments

This post is in: ,

Made it home earlier this afternoon and have just been busy unpacking and setting up the work pc. Rather than drag my pc across country, I had grant money I had to spend before 1 January, so I ordered a bunch of components and put together a simple desktop with a case and power supply and stuff I had lying around. So it came with nothing but windows on it, so I had to get that all put together and then do the usual- download malwarebytes, get all the ms products installed and updated, etc.

Joelle has been very concerned about me for the past few hours because she thinks I am manic. She has never experienced the joy of having an ADHD adult settle in to a new place. I don’t think I am in any distress because this is my norm, but apparently watching me roam around sweating and doing things in no apparent order gives off manic vibes. No fewer than three times has she come into the room, looked at me, tried to hold my face in her hands, and ask me “Honey are you ok?” and I say “I’m fine I just need to get this thing done and then the next thing done and everything is fine.” And she doesn’t believe me, but really, I am. I’m quite happy. I’m excited. There’s all this stuff to set up and get in the ‘right’ place and all these new places to explore and missions to strange grocery stores.

At any rate, I wanted to check in and let you know we are all safe. Thurston had some minor hiccups with the new dogs but is starting to settle in, and Joelle’s house was never renovated during the open concept craze (being locked up with the family in an open concept home during COVID sure knocked the shine off that fucking apple for a bunch of people, didn’t it?), so we have lots of rooms and bottlenecks we can create to make space if we need.

Steve and Maxwell are currently sequestered in a room off from the kitchen and doing well. Joelle would like to give the dogs a week with the smell of cats before we introduce them, and in that time make sure Thurston and the boys are bonded and a pack.

So all is indeed well, and now I need to go reassure the wife that I am not a complete and total maniac.

Reader Interactions

70Comments

  1. 1.

    Atticus Dogsbody

    “but apparently watching me roam around sweating and doing things in no apparent order gives off manic vibes.”

    My pshrink referred to that as “doing circle work.”

  4. 4.

    bbleh

    Lol absolutely no reason at all to be a little spun up, no sir!

    All’s well that ends well, and one big piece of it is done with.

    Enjoy the warm.  30s-40s in WV right now and very damp.

  8. 8.

    piratedan

    I assume that there will be pics of JC and Thurston in tanker gear (mustard stains optional) beside a “Mission Accomplished” banner forthcoming….

  9. 9.

    Wombat Probability Cloud

    Welcome home, and thanks for the update. I know all too well the manic joy of arriving in a new setting and getting all the ducks in a row.

  14. 14.

    mrmoshpotato

    being locked up with the family in an open concept home during COVID sure knocked the shine off that fucking apple for a bunch of people, didn’t it?

    Hahaha!  It’s a stupid concept anyway.  It’s a house, not a barn.

  15. 15.

    Jackie

    but apparently watching me roam around sweating and doing things in no apparent order gives off manic vibes.

    Every time I’ve moved to a new dwelling. There’s just stuff that’s gotta be done before you can kick back and relax.

  17. 17.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Wombat Probability Cloud:

    I know all too well the manic joy of arriving in a new setting and getting all the ducks in a row. 

    Even if it’s just for a long weekend.  And then you can sit down and relax and enjoy your new surroundings.

  20. 20.

    Adam David Burch

    Wonderful to hear you are in Arizona! It’s a wonderful time of year, but I hope you are prepared for the summer months. They can be quite intense.

  22. 22.

    Ohio Mom

    @NotMax: John is just practicing the new nomenclature. I think he gets a kick out of it.

    But I wouldn’t be surprised at an eventual post-elopement announcement.

  25. 25.

    Suzanne

    missions to strange grocery stores

    There’s a great Asian market on University and Priest. Whole Foods on Baseline and Rural. Trader Joe’s on McClintock and Guadalupe. A couple of Sprouts, which I miss terribly. Fry’s is Kroger and terrible. Natural Grocers is also not great. You have Costco on Priest and Elliot. Food City is where to get all Mexican food items.

    ETA: There’s also LeeLee’s in Chandler on Ray and Dobson. And Mekong Plaza in Mesa on Dobson.

  28. 28.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @Suzanne: there’s a newish TJ’s at University and Rural as well and the staff are nicer than the people at McClintock and Guadalupe who are just snotty. There’s no Whole Foods at Rural and Baseline. Its around Univeristy and Ash.

  32. 32.

    Suzanne

    @Joelle: Remember Gentle Strength food co-op? It got bounced out of its location on University and Ash in the mid-2000s because they demoed the building to build that “mixed use” monstrosity that’s there now. But they demoed the building and the site was vacant because the project fell apart in the recession and the co-op never reopened. It was so sad.

  34. 34.

    Mai Naem mobile

    There’s a newish Aldis at Southern and McClintock. I was impressed by an Aldi’s that I went to in LA but completely disappointed in the one here. Ranch Market is better for Mexican foodstuff but Food City is closer at Baseline and Hardy.

  36. 36.

    RaflW

    Glad you’re all there with only the emotional scars of the road. Kidding, it seems like about the level of stress and chaos to be expected, but successfully conquered.

    And settling in I’m sure feels good, however one does it. Linear, circular, start-stop-start, we’re all weird in our own particular ways. My partner now accepts, though doesn’t mirror, my “there’s so much to do, I better take a nap!” approach.

  37. 37.

    WaterGirl

    @Mai Naem mobile: Isn’t Aldi’s in the Kroger family?  Mostly selling generic versions of Kroger-branded food items?

    I was only at an Aldi’s once, but that’s what I recall.  Their fruit can be good, but you have to basically eat it on the way home in the car because it’s already quite ripe before you walk out the door.

  39. 39.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @WaterGirl: ALDI is German-owned and they sell German beer, wine, cookies, etc.  There’s one close to me; various people on Nextdoor were complaining before it went in because they thought it would bring in too much traffic and take away business from the other grocery stores, and probably really complaining because it would bring in poorer customers.  Mr. Rudbek is a regular customer as he likes the beer and bread, and I like the turkey sausage sticks.

  41. 41.

    Soprano2

    @WaterGirl: I don’t think so, it’s a German company. We saw them in several German cities when we were there. I like them for basic goods, because it’s a relatively small store and they don’t move stuff around. I also love the “Aisle of Surprise” because you never know what you’ll find there. At Christmas they have a lot of German Christmas foods. Plus, their stuff is inexpensive and pretty good quality.

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    @Kayla Rudbek: @Soprano2:

    Oh, I just realized that I was thinking of Ruler.  Which is the red-headed stepchild of Kroger.

    But the produce comment was about Aldi’s.

    I have been to Ruler once and Aldi’s once, and apparently momentarily conflated the two.

  45. 45.

    NutmegAgain

    @WaterGirl: Aldi & Trader Joes are related. Like Puma & Adidas (two brothers who started rival companies), Aldi-Nord and Aldi-Sud are different. And then there’s Lidl, somewhere in the business mix. All I know is the Aldi’s in New England vary widely in quality, whereas the ones in northern Germany all suck. I mean really bad. Not actually recognizable as grocery stores. I’ve learned to my disappointment that TJs near me in CT are many notches crummier than the ones I knew and loved in MA. Yet the parking lots are all madhouses!

  48. 48.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @WaterGirl: as others have already said it’s a German company. They own TJ’s as well. Its actually got an interesting companies.  It’s owned by one of two German brothers. IiRC the other one owns a different grocery company. One was kidnapped in the 70s and therefore they both keep a low profile. OT, years ago TJs had a German pickle product – a single large salty(not sweet) pickle in a can. Small invidual cans. This was when TJs would have products that were available only for a short period of time, never to be seen again. Anyhow, every once in a while I’ll do a search for these pickles and I’ve never found them.

  50. 50.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @John Cole: Sprouts at McClintock and Southern but don’t pick from the display stuff in the front of the store. Go to the back of the store.  I don’t go to Fry’s but IMHO Frys Markeplace is a step up from the regular Frys stores. There’s a Frys Marketplace at McClintock and Baseline.

  51. 51.

    RaflW

    Aldi in Minneapolis brought fresh food and staples to some fairly food-desert parts of town like 15 years ago.

    I kind of like the limited selection sometimes, like there’s no dithering. Either you want the millville bran flakes, or you don’t (x100 different foods and categories, from olive oil to block cheddar). Quick, which I want sometimes.

    I rarely think their produce looks good around here. But we shop 2-3 stores a week, as picky people.

  52. 52.

    Brachiator

    Very happy to see you settling in, John Cole.

    Rather than drag my pc across country, I had grant money I had to spend before 1 January, so I ordered a bunch of components and put together a simple desktop with a case and power supply and stuff I had lying around.

    The last time I had a work pc, the only heavy lifting I had to do was plugging it in and turning it on. I can’t imagine taking the time to put together a work pc from components.

  53. 53.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @HinTN:

    Everything Kroger touches turns into Kroger. Go in to any Kroger affiliate and you are in Kroger, period. The names on the products may change but they’re the SOS from Kroger.

    I call them Kro-Garr, the Malevolently Uncaring God of Retail.

  55. 55.

    Another Scott

    @Mai Naem mobile:

    Is this it?

    I go to TJ’s almost every week. It’s my favorite grocery. They don’t have everything, but they don’t play games like change the prices of stuff on the shelves (roughly) every 20 minutes, or charge $1 more for every item if you don’t have one of their loyalty cards, that really, really annoys me.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  56. 56.

    Suzanne

    @Mai Naem mobile: The Fry’s Marketplaces used to be Smitty’s, before they got bought. Do you remember Smitty’s? I remember as a kid, you could buy guns and alcohol at Smitty’s, in the same transaction.

  59. 59.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @Another Scott:  i don’t believe so. It’s got sugar as one of the ingredients and I don’t like sweet pickles.

    @Suzanne: Smittys was my favorite store. They always seemed clean. Frys looked dirty in comparison.  I used to shop at the one at Mill and Southern.  I always thought Frys/Krogers made a mistake letting the name go. They should have kept the Smittys name and trashed the Frys name. I also remember Fred Meyer, ABCO, Luckys, AJ Bayless Gemco and Mega. The grocery business is tough here.

  65. 65.

    SteveinPHX

    Welcome to Phoenix. I’m over on the west side (Peoria), but have friends over your way I visit regularly. Glad you made it safely.

  66. 66.

    2liberal

    missions to strange grocery stores

    It’s impossible to get lost around here.   Baseline is a 40-mile long road that looks like it was drawn by a ruler on Google maps.

    North-south numbered roads are Streets  to the east of Central Ave and are Avenues to the west.  So there is very big difference between  51st street and 51st avenue.

  68. 68.

    EmanG

    When you get the chance, check out Lee Lee’s Market. It’s a world food wonderland. Also, the Filiberto’s at McKellips and Guadalupe is pretty banging. Man, I’ve only been out of Mesa for 3 years and it’s all beginning to fade…

  70. 70.

    Some Guy

    I left Tempe two years ago after 27 years because I could no longer afford to live there.  I don’t wish to be rude, but….How the fuck can you (or anyone else here) afford to live there?  I loved living in Tempe and was involved in local politics. But there was no way to stay there.

    Sorry.  Just very bitter right now.

Comments are closed.