Random weekend bits

My weekend was mostly uneventful. I visited a bar, watched a bit of football, and attended my second D.C. wine club. (We drank Pinot Noir this month.) You'll find a few random tidbits below.

More '80s music
Just in time for tickets to go on sale, I heard this weekend that Bon Jovi is playing in D.C. in March. Tickets go on sale 10 hours from now, so I will be up and ready to purchase. If I am unable to buy tickets before they sell out, I'm sure you'll see an angry post on here tomorrow. (I saw Bon Jovi in April 2008 with my brother and sister-in-law in Nashville. This is a bit closer than a six-hour drive.) Bon Jovi just released a new CD, "The Circle," which I found on sale for $3.99 for an MP3 album download on Amazon.com this weekend.

Ready to travel
I've had bad luck with suitcases and airlines. My parents bought me a nice set of luggage for college graduation. Both pieces were ruined when taken on airplanes (especially international trips). Also, in both cases, the zippers were ripped out. I got a cost estimate to fix the first one, but it was almost as much as buying another brand-new, nice suitcase, so I went that route. With this second one (a large suitcase), I decided to just replace it. But I went to Target to pick out a cheap replacement. I figure it will last at least as long as my last one. (I think I only took it on two plane trips before it was ruined.)

The best part of my Target purchase is the exciting "6 for 1" tag on it. Yes, I completely fell for the gimmick, but I got six pieces for $80. I consider it a decent deal because I have been in need of a smaller suitcase or duffel bag to be used as a carry-on anyway.

The place to be
I checked out my first book from the Silver Spring library today. I had requested it through the website, and it finally arrived (just in time for my Minnesota trip). The library opened at noon today, and I arrived at noon or a minute later. I was surprised to see a group of about 20 people waiting outside the door. It turns out the doors were just being unlocked. Yet, I'm still shocked that a crowd was waiting when it opened. Perhaps the tiny library building is more popular than I realized.

Redskins wow
The Washington Redskins won today. I know this because on the local news they started the sports segment with a full-screen graphic saying "Redskins WIN!" It's a little pathetic that a win is that big of a deal — but it is.

Mizzou snaps streak
In other weekend football news, Mizzou scored its first second-half touchdown in a conference game this year. In other words, the team showed up to play the second half finally. It resulted in a win over Kansas State and a small bit of dignity restored.

Croutons update
In case anyone was wondering, storing my homemade croutons in the freezer seemed to work out well. I've been taking a serving out of the freezer before I'm ready to eat them. (I tried them straight from the freezer one night, but they were lacking flavor when still frozen.) I'm almost ready to make a second batch!