Thursday my friend sent me a link to the Belmont Shore Stroll & Savor and, seeing as how we're an unencumbered couple now, it sounded like a super idea.

There's not a lot of info about it online, but it was popular enough to prompt some Yelp reviews. Which were pretty helpful. You don't know if each place charges 12 tickets, or 2.

We parked pretty far back in the neighborhood, but it really wasn't necessary. I would say it wasn't too crowded at all! We scoped out a couple of places on the way to buy tickets. Most of the restaurants seemed to be participating but didn't make it too clear what they were offering and for how many tickets.

So, we bought one book of 12 for $10 between the two of us. Here's what we got:

Natraj Cuisine of India: 7 item sample plate, 6 tickets. Of all the places we tried this one was my favorite. So much so that I bought curry today even though it usually upsets my stomach. Great deal. And I'd totally go back for dinner.

Magic Lamp: sample plate, 4 tickets. We skipped our standards (La Creperie, Lucille's, Open Sesame), since the whole point is to try new things. I love trying local food whenever I'm away from home, so why not be brave in my own neighborhood? The chicken was good, but the hummus was too watery and the sauces weren't anything special. So it's Open Sesame for me all the way.

Olives Gourmet Grocer: chicken leg, 2 tickets. Sure they had olive ... stuff. I think I'm just not in to fried chicken. Plus these are the kind of groceries I hate (like Trader Joe's, although unfortunately I may have to go soon).

Two ice cream cones from Rite Aid. OK, they weren't actually participating. I paid $2.88 in USD. But man, that Thrifty ice cream.

The best part is, it happens once a month all summer long! The next event is June 24-25 (happy birthday to me!). There are a lot of places I still want to try!

So I bought a nice, shiny new car. It has new car smell. No paint peeling off. No worries about mechanical failures. I am pleased with it.

A couple of months after I bought it, I got a survey in the mail. Complete this survey, and enter to win $6,000 worth of car payments! I know the odds of winning are small. But I would be so super happy to win, so I fill out the 100+ question survey. I could do it online, anyway.

Another one comes. This one is JD Powers and they send me $1. They also send me a reminder postcard and I remember a guy from JD Powers speaking in one of my classes once. I don't have a whole heck of a lot going on; I fill it out. It's in the name of research!

Another one comes. No bribe. Didn't really enjoy the first two. If you can print the exact type of car I bought on the survey, why do I need to fill out little bubbles asserting that yes, this is a newly purchased car of certain make and model? Trashed.

Another one comes. $1 bribe. Trash.

Another one comes from Maritz. Trash.

Survey companies: you are wasting your time. Stop sending me useless identical surveys!!!

Speaking of the Office ...

Anyone else kind of meh about the season finale? Pam is so obviously pregnant. When did getting married and being stable before kids get to be sooo uncool??

And why is the cosmos forcing all this baby stuff on me?? I want a house. The only baby I want is the kind covered in fur.

By the way ....

There was another earthquake, just as large as the last one. This time, though, I was at work, and didn't feel a thing. Of course, the way my windowless building shakes and rattles, we could be having earthquakes all the time. I'd never know.

And this article made me laugh. And want to make peanut butter and jelly cupcakes.

The big news today is the earthquake last night. Which means I still have that general feeling of unease that comes from having the earth move unnaturally underneath you and nowhere to go to escape it.

We'd just gotten home from dinner and were going to settle in and watch the last of this season's The Office. It started off feeling like the way the building always shakes when a truck goes by, except it got much worse very quickly. Five to ten seconds tends to feel like 15-20 minutes, at least to me.

We went outside and downstairs and I sat down on the ground. I think I must have felt one of the aftershocks, but they were small in comparison.

Oddly enough, the center was right near the airport where my parents were staying. They'd left hours earlier. Even stranger is to tell people at work that, actually, my parents have felt earthquakes in Missouri before.

If that's a "light" earthquake ... whoa.