Back from the airport. I made my getaway while JZ distracted Matilda with the new and exciting telescoping handle on the luggage. "Look! It's a handle!"

They seem to have gotten rid of some of my other favorite things: salt-and-pepper peanuts, and horseradish-cheddar spread. Boo!

Oy. Back home. Weather was so wretched leaving NY, which sucks, since yesterday was so delightful. Took over an hour to get to JFK and then our plane was late getting into the gate, which meant we were boarding at the time we were supposed to be taking off. The bad weather then kept us on the runway for another hour which wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't a Double Jeffrey flight for me. (Anyone who's seen Bill Cosby: Himself will probably get the gist of that reference.)

The turbulence was almost a relief after that.

But I'm home and in bed and watching the ball game. And the trip was a massive success, so life is definitely good.

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I've never lived near a TJ's, but I know several of you guys have favorite products. Any recommendations?

Their baked cheese crunchies, which are basically baked Cheetos, but SO MUCH BETTER than Cheetos.

Their Joe-Joe cookies, which are their Oreo. But -- this is crucial -- get the vanilla bean cream ones, not just the plain white cream.

They have a chocolate-filled cereal that I've never actually had *as cereal,* like, in a bowl with milk, but just eaten as a snack.

The kalamata olive hummus is excellent, as is the edamame hummus.

Choclate-covered sunflower seeds. They're like tiny healthy M&Ms.

Oh, my god, this going to the gym thing is hard work.

Former neighbor girl T is gonna come visit me this Sunday! She's figured out the buslines (one which stops at the end of my street) if her dad can't come. I'm unreasonably excited!

The frozen chocolate croissants. The mini plain ones are good too. And oh how I miss the walnut gorgonzola ravioli they used to have.

See, a lot of what I get at Trader Joe's is frozen, so recommendations for those aren't going to be much help to Dana and DH.

I made the weekly Trader Joe's run today, actually, and here's what I got:

sushi
mango berry muffins
english muffins
string cheese
"Pub cheese" (spreadable cheddar in a tub, like kaukauna cheese)
strawberries
blueberries
spinach
pistachios
frosted mini-wheats
chocolate-filled cereal
1/2 & 1/2
Joe-Joe's cookies
frozen vegetarian corn dogs
frozen veggie burgers
baked cheese crunchies

So, a lot of it is stuff I could have gotten at any grocery store (berries, spinach, 1/2 & 1/2, nuts), but I buy it at TJs because the prices are generally better, the quality of the food is generally better, and I'm already there so I might as well grab the blueberries while they're in front of me.

All that said, there is some damn fine TJ-specific stuff to be had.

I miss them so. Our closest neighborhood one closed