20 pounds in 1 night

I have a new love. His name is "The Cheesecake Factory". Just the name of it is enough to send my mouth into a salivary stupor. It invokes images of conveyor belts filled with delectable treasures for those fortunate enough to dine at the establishment. Although the interior of the restaurant wasn't how I imagined it would be (something like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory) it did not disappoint.
I went with 2 of my sisters (Denise and Veronica) and a friend of ours from Manti, Emily. I must admit that I was a little disheartened when we pulled up because of the huge line in front. It was the kind of line you could expect at any given restaurant on a Saturday night...on graduation...and 2 proms going on. Emily assured us it was worth the wait. We signed in at the counter and they gave us our "cell phone looking buzzy thing" that would tell us it was our turn, and some menus.
As I perused the menu I felt a little sick. I am such a cheapskate that the prices made me want to wait in the car while the others ate. Again Emily assured me that it would be worth it. Veronica and I decided to share a chicken salad sandwich with a side of fries to save money.
After half an hour of waiting (honestly I expected closer to an hour considering the line we were in) our "cell phone looking buzzy thing" lit up and started jumping around like a kid on Christmas morning as if to say "Get excited. You are about to have the most amazing culinary experience of your young-ish life."
Our waiter (I will call him Mike because I can't remember his name) sat us at our table and presented us with a basket bread, every carbavores Manna, and since I've started trying to cut carbs wherever I can, my kryptonite. The rye bread was spectacular. I hate to admit it but I may or may not have had 3 pieces of the rye bread which filled me up immediately. I was trying to be good, at least in my head, so I told myself that I wouldn't eat anything more and I would just put my dinner in a box to eat at home. Of course that didn't work.
Mike brought out the sandwich that Veronica and I were going to share. Now, I don't know where they get the bread for that sandwich but it invoked images of the feast that Goofy, Donald and Mickey enjoyed at the giants house in "Mickey and the Beanstalk" which, by the way, if you have never watched it you should. As we each took our prospective halves of the sandwich I though to myself "I just want to try one bite before I set it aside". Big mistake. As my teeth bit through the toast (Veronica's description of the toast was best, a toasted butter sponge) I knew there would be no turning back. The chicken was chopped to perfection, The chopped cashews gave the salad just the right touch, and there was just the right amount of dressing, enough to make it moist but not so much that I had to wipe excess mayo globuals off my face. Before I knew it my half of the sandwich was gone.
I told Veronica that she could have all of the fries because I wasn't hungry, but I did want just one. I dipped my single fry into the side of ranch that I had asked for. The ranch was so delicious that before I could stop myself I had eaten half of the fries just so I could have an excuse for eating more of that fantastically garlicky ranch.
At this point I was feeling kind of post-Thanksgiving dinner-ish, and we still hadn't had the dessert yet. Now if you go to a place that has a dessert in it's name there is no way you can go there and not order a dessert...or 3. Yes, it is true. We ordered 3 desserts for the 4 of us to share.
In ranking the desserts 1 to 3, 3 being the least favorite, I would have to say that the Red Velvet cheesecake came in at 3. It might have been more delicious to me if I didn't have the other 2 vying for my affection.
#2 is what I lovingly call "Chocolardiac Arrest". It's real name is "Blackout Cake". It was so chocolaty that my head started to spin. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and chocolate ganache over the top. It was fantastic.
Coming in at #1 was the white chocolate macadamia nut caramel cheesecake. That is what I call heaven in my mouth. It was the perfect combination. Caramel is my favorite flavor, put it with cheesecake and you have the best thing since sliced giant bread.
As I leaned back in my chair wishing that I wasn't in public so that I could undo my belt for easier breathing I thought "It's a good thing we don't have a Cheesecake Factory near my house, otherwise my diet and wallet would be doomed."

To "B" or not to "B"? That is the question

My grandfather has Alzheimer's. He never has been much of a talker. He is even less so now. He spends the majority of his time sleeping in his chair. Even when people are over visiting he will sleep the whole time. Actually, he sleeps when he isn't eating candy. He has recently taken up the habit of eating copious amounts of sweets. My mom can't buy candy fast enough to keep up with his candy consumption. This is an unexpected change for him considering that he has spent his whole life up until now watching his weight very closely. If he ever gained weight he would put himself on a strict diet. But hey, if you are going to start gorging yourself with candy, 86 is the right age to start.
On Easter we went over to my grandparent's house for a visit. I was telling my Grandma a story about beads. Out of a dead sleep my Grandpa woke up and asked me "You know what they say about bees don't you?" Trying to conceal a snicker I said "No, Grandpa. What do they say about bees?" His response..."Let the bees be!" At which point he fell right back into his sound sleep. So there you have it. Let the bees be.

Reflections

I am completely new to this whole blogging thing. I figure I will just take a stab in the dark and see where I go from there.
I have a job that I love. The one problem is that I don't feel like it will take me anywhere. I don't get benefits and the pay isn't fantastic. I live in a house with 2 of my sisters and 2 other roommates. 2 of my roommates have boyfriends and who knows how soon they will turn into husbands. I've never really had any big adventures in my life, although I do crave them. Everyone I know is moving forward. Me? Me I'm just doing what I've always done. In short, my life is stale.
Since 3 of my 4 roommates are probably going to be moving out of my house soon it seems that I will need a new place to live. Question, should I stay in the area where I have a mediocre job that I love, therefore I have some security, or should I spread my wings and try somewhere new with no promise of a job? I need a magic 8 ball.