Not exactly. But I did have enough plans to keep me from having time to trim my Bradford pear tree. (Poor tree, I’ll be home soon!)
Here’s some of what I learned in my wanderings:
A. First Fridays Artwalk is still going strong. As always, it’s lovely to see people—all ages, all stages—out and about on the streets of downtown Richmond. I had my first listen to the Happy Lucky Combo and got my first look at the Artwalk’s new market (in a parking lot next to 1708 Gallery). A great addition to the proceedings, it offered fresh eggs, kale, carrots, lettuce ... just the thing to pick up when you’re out perusing art but thinking omelets and salad.
B. I’ve only been to Black Finn once— and that was for a sad occasion— so I’m probably not the best judge of what it has to offer. But my hairdresser, Deborah, hangs out at the Shockoe Bottom restaurant and bar on weekends. So it has to be a happenin’ place.
C. My friend Lisa’s husband prefers NASCAR to Shakespeare. Who’d-a thunk it? But Olaf’s preference for strong odors and headgear paved the way for me to attend Richmond Shakespeare’s annual Bard Bash. Artistic director Grant Mudge unveiled the company’s new eight-minute promotional film (nicely done!), which emphasizes the importance of making Shakespeare accessible, even to young’uns. Especially to young’uns. (The educational component is headed up by the enthusiastic Cynde Liffick). Bobbie Barajas—you know, from WCVE-FM?—hosted the event; it was fun to meet the woman behind the voice.
D. Even Patrick Dempsey has his off days. I know, I can hear the screaming from here. But seriously, even 
McDreamy has trouble pulling off hefty, wavy bangs when they obscure his beautiful forehead and detract from those lovely blue eyes. *Sigh.* Still, it was fun to see him take one fall after another—except the final fall, which proved one fall too many—in “Made of Honor.”
<<<< Dempsey with good hair
E. West Tower is my third favorite cinema (Byrd Theatre first, Westhampton second)—mainly because it doesn’t have 25 screens the size of your Uncle Ned’s big-screen TV and you don’t have to wait in a line
that snakes around the lobby three times. That said, the building could use a good airing. As soon as we walked in, I got a strong whiff of eau de stale popcorn. Hmm, maybe a few appropriately placed air fresheners would help.
F. Zorba’s (Greek and Italian restaurant) at Tuckernuck Square still has some of the best rolls in town. And its hummus appetizer makes for a great meal.
G. This was PetSmart’s National Adoption Weekend. I have two cats who pretty much take up every square inch of my house—but if I had room, I know I could’ve found the perfect canine. PetSmart’s Short Pump location was finding new homes for some gorgeous doggy-dogs this weekend. To them all, I say, “Happy tails to you!”
This dog was not at PetSmart, but I like his looks. He won first place in a canine fashion show in Manila, Philippines, last week. >>>>
... for ice cream! But we don’t always get it.
Who knew it was Ben & Jerry’s 30th anniversary? Not me. But my friend Katherine did, so she hightailed it to Carytown this afternoon to get a scoop on the action.
“The action,” in this case, being a free ice cream cone. Turns out B&J, community-oriented fellas that they are, 
give out free ice cream every year around their anniversary. This year, it was today.
Only problem, Katherine reports, is that the line at the shop, 2901 W. Cary St., went clear down the block.
Katherine might not have had time to wait for her free frozen treat, but—on behalf of the 3,200 people who did—thanks, Ben and Jerry!
And thanks to the worker bees still cleaning up tonight, nearly an hour and a half after closing. Since the Carytown location just opened in September, this was its first free-cone day. From all indications, it was a sweet success.
Note: The photo above is from the week Carytown B&J’s opened—you know, when people were still discovering it existed—not from the madhouse that was today.
So I saw this commercial for McDonald’s new iced coffees last night on TV. I try to ignore TV ads on principle—even if I could tolerate Pepsi, Justin Timberlake is NOT going to talk me into running out and buying a six-pack.
But this coffee ad interested me, for whatever reason, to the point that on the way to the office from the dentist’s this afternoon, I drove through a Midlothian Turnpike McDonald’s. The iced coffee is available in regular, hazelnut and vanilla. Thinking the latter two might be too sweet, I ordered regular.
Oh. My. Gosh. If you saw me speeding, weaving in and out of traffic around 3:30 today, all I can say is that Mickey D’s new iced coffees—even the “regular”—are CHOCK-full of sugar. Yikes. (Yeah, I know, I hope my dentist isn’t reading this, either.)
So you know I went straight to http://www.mcdonalds.com to check it out. First, I’d like to congratulate the company for burying its nutrition info so deep that I practically ended up with carpal tunnel from all the clicking. But at last—success!—or maybe not, because this is something I did not need to know: My large, regular iced coffee has—are you sitting down?—280 calories and 100 fat calories (11 grams). In comparison, a small burger has 250 calories and 80 fat calories (9 grams). Oh, and the vanilla and hazelnut coffees have 10 fewer calories! Same amount of fat.
D’oh! No wonder the nutrition stats were 6 feet under. Maybe McD’s has a sugarless version. If not ... uh, cup of water, please?
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