But how do I eat it?

I was standing behind two women in line at the Giant Eagle coffee bar. They both ordered oatmeal, which I've mentioned before is a really great deal--$2 for a huge bowl with either dried or fresh fruit. But the bowl is a plastic container and there is a lid on top so you don't spill it carrying it to the table. Apparently, one woman hadn't eaten oatmeal before and asked the other what to do.

A carry-in McDonald's breakfast

A large overweight man brought in a huge sack of McDonald's breakfast items to the coffee shop at Giant Eagle. Maybe only the window was open at McDonald's and he wanted a sit down breakfast. Giant Eagle has a very tasty and inexpensive alternative to all that fat. A bowl of oatmeal with a lot of fresh fruit plus coffee or tea for $2.00.

Bi-lingual breakfast

A father and his young son were having breakfast together today at the coffee shop--sort of. The father was speaking Spanish and the son was replying in English and Spanglish. Then they both opened up their computers and worked separately. You gotta love these family bonding times.

What's wrong with teenagers these days?

This author in the Wall Street Journal seems a bit cranky. The only teens I meet are either at church or Panera's and they all seem pretty nice, hard working, motivated, polite and smart to me! It's the people in their 20s who seem a bit immature as they postpone growing up. Maybe this prof lumped them all together. What's wrong with the teenage mind?

Her name was Norma Jean

I talked to a man at the coffee shop who knew my name was Norma because the cashier had called me by name. I told him (he was very young) that he probably didn't know many Normas. He agreed. Then I said, "Marilyn Monroe's real name was Norma." That surprised him, he'd never heard that, however, he wasn't really too sure who Marilyn Monroe was! Like I said, he was very young, and she would now be 86.

Merry Christmas from a stranger

This morning at Panera's a stranger came to my table before he left (not having spoken to anyone else) and said, "Have a Merry Christmas," and I returned the greeting. Maybe he saw the "Merry Christmas" button on my purse. Then when I got ready to leave I went to the table of a retired biologist from OSU and said, "Have a Merry Christmas," and he smiled and said, "Happy Holidays."

Good deal on oatmeal

There's a very nice breakfast offered at the Giant Eagle--steaming hot oatmeal with either coffee or tea for $2.00. A customer showed it to me--lots of fresh fruit in the oatmeal, plus hot milk. I don't see many people in the coffee shop there in early a.m. Only one or two. But the Christmas music has been very nice, and the coffee is very good.