Ducky Does Rochester and Other Various Things

Ducky Did Rohrbach and Tinseltown

2010-04-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

Puppy and I had date night and we went to see How to Train Your Dragon at Tinseltown in IMAX 3-D. The movie was great! We both loved it and it was really cool to see it in 3-D. I found the glasses a little uncomfortable but worth it. Afterwords we went to Rohrbach Brewing Company's restaurant. This is our second time at the restaurant and we will definitely be back. This time we went for some of the heavier fare. Puppy got the Nachos which she enjoyed and would order again. She also got the Inner Loop Onion Hoops. These were on the large size and the onion inside was not completely tender so we probably wont order them again. I ordered the Lager Battered Veggies which were awesome! I liked how small the veggies were and I loved the green beans and rutabaga. We would get this again but the portion size was generous so we would get it to share. My absolute favorite of the night was the Brew Spuds. They are potato wedges treated potato skin style. The other highlight of the night was the excellent service at the bar and at our table. This is the one thing that stuck out after both visits.

Finally, the beer, the whole reason this place exists! We got there late in the evening (8pm) and five of the beers were no longer available. I suggest that they have some way to post which beers were out because we (and others) had to keep asking. We got the sampler which is 4 smaller beers. We enjoyed the Vanilla Porter, Saison, Pinstripe Pilsner, and the Scotch Ale. My favorite was the Vanilla Porter and puppy liked the Scotch Ale.

If you go they do call-ahead seating which I recommend for the busy times. People just walking in had a 45-60 minute wait.

Ducky Did Scott Miller

2010-03-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Dirty title FTW! Ok I didn't actually DO Scott we just got acquainted at his salon and day spa in Webster. I participated in their "Model" program and I got a free haircut from someone in training. If I didn't specifically set up the appointment as a model program appointment I would have never known the difference. I think they secretly slipped me a fully trained stylist because my hair came out great. The stylist listened to what I wanted, made some suggestions, and I am happy with the results. She showed me some of their products that I could purchase there but she didn't make me feel like I was a bad person for not purchasing any. The haircut was free so I gave a generous tip. In May I go back for highlights. The procedure is free you just pay for the hair color. I am excited.

Ducky Loves Glee

2010-03-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

So I love the TV show Glee. My dear friend got me the Glee Season 1 soundtrack Volume 1 and Volume 2 for my birthday and I have not stopped listening to them. They go to work and come home. I think my favorite song is Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked. I can not wait for the new season to start in April.

Ducky Goes to the Vet

2010-03-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

This duck pond has lots of furry four legged family members. 3 cats and 2 dogs to be exact. A lot of people in my life also have animals so this one is going out to you.

Let me say first why I am talking about this. A friend Lauren Wisser is a veterinarian in the Livingston county region. She has recently pursued one of her dreams of opening her own practice as a visiting vet. The need for this service makes so much sense to me. Our cat Barley is terrified of leaving the house, Haywagon turns from lover cat to demon spawn when he crosses the threshold of the vet's office, and Case is slow to trust new situations and very skittish. (Patch, however, thinks the vet visit is his time to parade around and visit his old friends) I also don't like rushing home from work to literally run around the house trapping cats to get the animals packed into crates and back out the door again in under 3.5 minutes. It never occurred to me but their routine health care could be delivered in the comfort of my own home while I am in my pajamas.

The other thing that is not fun to talk about is the event of needing emergency veterinarian services. What I can say is that having someone I know I can call that is available in this area is really a relief for me. Lauren is available for routine care and emergency services so her number is up on our fridge. Lauren is also available for phone consultation. Sometimes I freak out when something is wrong with one of the animals and it would help just to talk to someone about it to see if my panic is justified or not. Call her for her rates because I don't remember them exactly I can tell you that they are reasonable and even comparable to vet services at a brick and mortar location. I am so excited our region has this service. The contact info is as follows:

Genesee Valley Visiting Vet PLLC
Lauren Wisser D.V.M.
(585)519-4140
visitingvet@hotmail.com
Web Site Link

Ducky Eats Wegmans Coco Pop Rice Cakes

2010-03-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

Coco Pop Rice Cakes

I love these delicious 16 calorie cakes. They are available I know for sure at Pittsford, Canandaigua, and Calkins Road Wegmans. IIRC they are about 2.69 for a package of 15 cakes. I eat them a variety of ways but my favorites are serving it under Summer Fresh brand tzatziki dip. smeared with peanut butter, or melted cheese.

Another new product favorite is Miss Meringue's Vanilla Minis they are velvety smooth and delicately crunchy at the same time. You can have 13 cookies for only 110 calories. I find these in Wegmans by the bakery. I tried Wegmans brand vanilla meringue cookies and they were no where near the perfection of Miss' little treats.

Ducky Eats Sushi

2010-03-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite sushi restaurants is Shiki http://www.shikirestaurant.com/ My usual order is the vegetable sushi lunch but I have also had the regular sushi lunch too. My favorite individual roll is the crispy roll. All the rawfish I have had there has been very fresh. Shiki also has the best salad dressing and miso soup in my opinion. The restaurant is very small so call for reservations if you are going on a weekend or another hot time. My only criticism is that the restaurant messed up a special order roll that we got for takeout, messed up enough that we couldn't eat it. We live a half an hour away so couldn't go in person to talk to them. We called and asked them to rectify the situation and the owner was not nice on the phone, told us we were out of luck, and hung up on us. We go there a lot so it was disappointing to be treated this way.

Second favorite is Fujiya http://fujiyawebster.com/ I like their crispy roll less than Shiki's but there cheese harumaki is wonderful. Its quickly fried so that its crispy but not greasy and it has a sweet and sour sauce on the side. I do not like Fugiya's salad dressing although mother and brother duck like it very much. My favorite two rolls are more along the lines of bastardized sushi and that's because they are FRIED! But so good. I recommend the Fujiya roll and the fire California. Plan to share the rolls though they are tasty but on the heavy side. This place is good if you like some of the more nontraditional rolls.

Ducky tries to do this again

2010-03-12T16:27:00.000-08:00

I was discouraged with the lack of readership but I decided I probably needed more content to support any form of readership so I am going to try posting again and not necessarily post for the attention.

Today Ducky went to Aladdins Restaurant
http://www.aladdinsonline.com/

The food was great. I got the Vegetarian Appetizer Combo I chose the Baba, Spanikopita, Falafel and Tourlou (warmed up). It was served with pita, cucumber slices, and plum tomato slices. I was unimpressed with the service. It took 45 minutes for our order to be taken (we did have a larger party), one of the guests got hit in the head with her drink by the waiter, and they told us over the phone that we could bring in our own cake with us then yelled at us when we got it there. The food though is really unique and a healthy alternative in an area where I feel like the vegatarian and health options are lacking.

Random Quackings

2009-01-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

While googling my name I realized that the race I participated in: 10 ugly men 5k, I officially came in last...I think I am ok with that. Many people find motivation in not finishing last. I think I might find motivation in finishing and empowering others to finish. I think that if I ever participated in future races that I would be willing to be the one to finish last. Someone has to be the one to finish last. If I am the one who won't have a complex about it why shouldn't it be me?

'Tis the season to be quacky

2008-12-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

Its the time of year to give and to receive.

Ducky's Wishlist
Things I would like others to do:
1) I would like everyone to find a way to give back to their community
check out: http://www.communitywishbook.com/ its a directory of not for profit agencies in the Rochester, NY area that serve to help others. These agencies often rely on the generosity of volunteers with their time and public donations of money and goods.

Some of my favorite organizations are:
Lollypop Farm
to donate go to:
http://www.lollypop.org/org/org6.asp?ssid=&orgid=6&storyTypeID=&sid=&

AIDS Rochester
to donate go to:
http://www.aidsrochester.org/donate.htm

Lifespan
http://www.lifespan-roch.org/

2) Check on an elderly neighbor.
3) Cancel a credit card
4) Buy something organic
5) Dont stand to close to the person at the ATM in front of you. It makes them nervous.
6) Shop a little less at the mall and wal-mart and a little more at indy stores

Lest you think I am entirely too altruistic these are things I want:
7) DUCK TAPE!!! seriously, its a specific kind
http://www.duckproducts.com/products/subcategory.asp?CatID=4&SubID=20
easy stick permanent adhesive rollers. This stuff is like crack I go through a ton of it. I buy it in big packs at wal-mart (yeah, see #6, I know )

8) Search Duck at Etsy.com and I probably want it.

9) A kayak with blocks, a paddle, and a pfd.

10) The perfect accessory for Kayaking: Wine
My favorite locals:
Liquid Wisdom!!! http://hickoryhollowwine.net/page/14hcm/Our_wines.html
I've beet hot on the Banty Red, but have always loved the Pink Catawba http://www.bullyhill.com/

11) Books, the kind with pages and words is that specific enough?
I love books. I am currently lusting after the second book in the Fabelhaven series and the last book in the Uglies series by Scott Westerfield.
www.bookmooch.com
www.paperbackswap.com
www.amazon.com

12) Music- I love hearing other peoples favorite music and finding new artists I love.
13) Handmade gifts

Ducky Does Eats

2008-11-30T15:42:00.000-08:00

I have blogged so many times in my head. I figured out that unless I actually type it here It doesn't make it to paper, so to speak. Well I was at a restaurant recently and I wanted to give it a review.

I went to "King David's Restaurant (The Best in Middle Eastern and Greek Food)" with Momma Duck. This is located at the New Park Point complex at RIT. They are open m-tr 11:00-9:00 f-Sa 11:00-10:00 and sun 12:00-7:00. We got there right at 11 for an early lunch and we were the only ones there. Lunch dinning was order at a counter and seat yourself. The decor was Mediterranean and seating was plentiful and comfortable with options for booths or tables. We ordered from the "A La Carte" menu getting the Vegetarian Plate ($7.95) and the Spanikopita ($7.75). Their menu is available wioth descriptions at kingdavids.com. We really enjoyed everything we ordered except for the Tabbouleh but to be fair we think maybe we just don't like Tabbouleh. They have a very diverse menu and we will go back to try new things. I am most curious about the baklava desserts because I make a very good baklava and I like to taste my competition.

Ducky does gardening

2008-06-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to put our garden into the ground. I have my tomato seedlings hardened off and everything else is going in by seed. I was geocaching recently when I came across a garden in the woods and some strangers offered me spinach and radishes. Other than making for a good story I found out about "The Geneseo Food Project" which includes a community garden. More information can be found here: http://www.geneseo.edu/CMS/display.php?page=6568&dpt=gfp. I signed up for the list serve so I can see how this develops. It sounds great, the veggies were tasty, and the people I met were really kind.

Another community action plug: Check out http://www.communitywishbook.com/. Its a website directory of Rochester area not-for-profit agencies looking for donations of goods or volunteer time. Check it out! Maybe you can help them and help yourself by getting rid of things you don't need.

Run Ducky Run!

2008-06-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to get into running for most of my life now. The puppy and I get "Runners World" magazines and I love reading about running so I decided it was time to do something about wanting to run. I read that sometimes you need to schedule a race before you even start training in order to give yourself the motivation to start training. Well Puppy and I have planned on doing the Medved 10 Ugly Men 5k Race: http://www.medvedrunwalk.com/events.asp?action=view&ID=68

The first thing I did was go to Fleet Feet Rochester: http://www.fleetfeetrochester.com/

They measured my feet and suggested some running sneakers. They had me try them on and they watched me walk on a treadmill to make sure they worked for my feet. This was a very pleasurable experience. The staff was helpful, they asked questions, and really tailored the experience to my needs. As a larger runner I was worried that their would be a hint of skepticism in their assistance but their was none. I got home with my new Asics and hopped online certain I would find them cheaper but I was pleasantly surprised to realize I got a better deal (when you account for shipping fees) at Fleet Feet than I could find online. I also impulse purchased 2 pairs of Balega wool running socks for $18 total for 2 pair. I love these socks. They keep my feet cool in 90+ degree weather.

To start training I downloaded "Couch to 5k" running podcasts

Program info: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Podcasts: http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/page6/page6.html

From Roberts site: "When I decided it was time to get back in shape I looked around at the options, I found the "Couch to 5K" program at coolrunning.com. The only problem with the plan was that every week had a different running schedule. To help, I developed these podcasts to help with all the different pace changes. I hope you like them."

And I do like them. He tells you what to do (running/walking/warm-up/cool-down) and when and for how long. Tie that in with some peppy music and you have a running success story. I have only completed the first week but its really fun to do it with the pod casts. I am certainly a beginning runner. I still weight quite a bit at 266 pounds (down from 357) and I found that I was able to keep up with the program in the first week. My plan is to keep advancing week to week and if I reach a point that I can't run all the running parts I will go back a week until I can progress. I think the big thing that will make me successful this time is not starting out too quickly and getting burned out.

I am also following a 5k training schedule I found in "Runners World" that consists of 5k training 3 days a week on alternating days, 3 days a week of cross training (I like geocaching, swimming, and biking), and one day off. I plan to eventually add in strength training but I am also trying to make lasting changes by adding things slowly and making them habits before adding new things.

Signed happily: A running Duck

Ducky Did School!

2008-05-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

I did it! I am finally done with school. On May 16th I get to pick up my diploma. I got my MSW from the Greater Rochester Collaborative Master of Social Work program. If you are interested in finding out more about my experience in the program drop me a line.

I am now looking for employment and reading furiously to tamp down my TBR pile. Seriously, books would take over my life and not let me out of the house if I didn't contain them. The book I Read yesterday was The Clique by Lisi Harrison. Very vapid reading, perfect for my school fried brain.

Last night the puppy and I went out to dinner to celebrate the end of school. We went to P.F. Chang's. http://www.pfchangs.com/ I got the Ma Po Tofu and puppy got Chicken Lettuce Wraps which she already knew she liked. I was only able to eat about 1/4 of my dinner but it was good! Meals here could get pricey if you start ordering meat dishes but the apps are enough for a meal and the veggie dishes are reasonably priced.

Ducky Does Breakfast

2008-04-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery on March 5th, 2008. I have been trying a lot of new food products and a new favorite is Kashi Go Lean. I can only eat about 2 tablespoons of it right now but it is very high in both fiber and protein. I like to mix it into my yogurt but I also look forward to having it with my Wegmans Organic Soymilk.

It is available at Amazon subscribe and save for $3.33 a box but you get 6 boxes at a time and free shipping.

I also have to plug the subscribe and save program. I signed up to get my vitamin supplements this way and they will automatically send them to my house every 6 months. I get my iron and B12 this way. You have to compare amazon's prices with your local stores but so far I have found Amazon usually wins out as long as your purchase qualifys for free shipping.

Ingredients: Soy Protein, Soy Grits, Corn Bran, Corn, Evaporated Cane Juice, Honey, Whole Oats, Long Grain Brown Rice, Whole Rye, Whole Hard Red Winter Wheat, Whole Triticale, Whole Buckwheat, Whole Barley, Wheat Bran, Oat Bran, Whey, Sesame Seeds, Salt

Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 140
Calories from Fat: 10
Amount Per Serving and/or % Daily Value*
Total Fat: 1g (2%)
Saturated Fat: 0g (0%)
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg (0%)
Sodium: 85mg (4%)
Potassium: 480mg (14%)
Total Carbohydrate: 30g (10%)
Dietary Fiber: 10g (40%)
Soluble Fiber: 1g
Insoluble Fiber: 9g
Sugars: 6g
Protein: 13g (20%)
Amount Per Serving and/or % Daily Value*
Vitamin A: 0%
Vitamin C: 0%
Calcium: 6%
Iron: 10%
Phosphorus: 10%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower based on your calorie needs.

Kashi at amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Kashi-GOLEAN-Cereal-14-1-Ounce-Boxes/dp/B000FNJOO0/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1208097339&sr=1-18

Emerging from Hibernation

2008-04-06T05:33:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready to stretch my wings and fly...except I just learned that when I fell last month I fractured my ankle. So I have a big boot thing on my leg for a little while. This means I have to hold off on those adventurous geocaches.

The quick rundown of what geocaching is--People hide small to medium sized containers outside and locations run from urban to rural to downright wilderness. In the container is a log book for signing in when you find the cache and sometimes some small trinkets (my favorite is when I find rubber duckies). The person who hides the cache takes the gps coordinates of the location and posts them online. Then suckers like me set out to find them.

What I love about geocaching is that its great exercise, cheap as long as you don't enter the "gotta have the newest/best/fanciest gps" race. It takes you to places you never knew existed but are only a drive around the corner, and you meet really great friends.

The GPS systems I have tried and liked:
Garmin Etrex Legend
This is my little easy to use unit. It was so simple to use that I didn't read the manual. It doesn't pick up satellites inside or in deep gulleys. It has an electronic compass so you have to keep moving for navigation accuracy but if you are just getting into the sport and aren't sure if its your thing this is a good starter model. I think its rugged and has held up to some beating but I know of 2 people who dropped theirs in water and it was a little less than normal after than even tough it is water resistant and submersible in something approximating 5ft of water for 30 minutes (I would have to check the manual to confirm the exact limits). I would go ahead and get the case for it too.
http://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?item=6G0230&GEN0=Y

Garmin Nuvi 350
This is more of a navigation system and this little puppy stays in the car. The only thing I think can be improved is sound quality. It has an mp3 player but the sound quality is poor enough that I would prefer to listen to the radio. Others may disagree but this is not an essential piece to be able to geocache BUT if you try it you will be hooked (fair warning).
http://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?item=6G0230&GEN0=Y

The holiest of holy GPS units prayed to by many is...

Garmin (see a trend here? I swear their are other manufacturers we just like garmin)
GPSMap 60 csx
This little crack rock will get satellites inside a building and anywhere outside. No dense forest, rock walls, or tall buildings will thwart its efforts to bring you clear reception. I thinks its more confusing to use but hey the addicts get used to it. Don't borrow one unless you are willing to buy one that night. This gps doesn't have a good case. Some prefer just to have it naked with screen protectors because the case covers up buttons and ports. If you are going to get an accessory get the car mount.
http://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?item=6G0230&GEN0=Y

And a note on PC Nation: Of course always shop around but they have always had the best prices when I look. Shipping is fast and I have been happy with them and I was referred to them from a friend who is also always happy.

The King of Kong

2008-03-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

I just happened to watch The King of Kong: A fistfull of quarters. It was on Netflix instant watch in the top 50 movies. I LOVED IT! I feel like such a gaming nerd but it was a great movie. It is a documentary about the quest for the world championship title in arcade Donkey Kong (yeah I just lost you there right?). If you watch it you will probably end up loving Steve Wiebe and hating Billy Mitchell at least I hope so.

Italian Eatery

2008-03-15T01:56:00.000-07:00

Date night! I just celebrated a birthday on March 8th. I received a coupon in the mail for a free dinner entree from Bazil http://www.bazilrestaurant.com/ or Mario's http://www.mariosviaabruzzi.com/. The coupon is good for up to $11.00 at Bazils or $16.00 at Marios. (Which is funny because there were no entrees that I saw on the menu that were under $11.00)

I have been to both these restaurants before and we picked Bazil because Mario's is a bit more spendy. They both have online menu's. I was happy that Bazil's had a section on their menu for special diets (Low Carb/Vegetarian/Weight Watchers with nutritional info/Gluten Free). The dinner entrees come with your choice of soup or salad. They have unlimited salad and breadsticks like the OG. I got broiled haddock which comes with coleslaw and steak fries and I chose the minestrone soup. My date ordered Lasagna off the Weight Watchers menu and chose the salad. They very nicely brought the dressing on the side which has been a hassle before at the previously mentioned OG. Minestrone soup was very delicious stocked full of vegetables and pasta. Vegetarians beware that the minestrone has a meat based broth. I had a lot of questions about meal prep and side dishes and the server was very patient and provided good information. The food came quickly, it was pipping hot, and presentation was nice. My date ate my steak fries and reported that they were very delicious. I enjoyed the haddock it was fresh tasting and perfectly done. Our server was very quick on refills and she promptly brought requested items.

Of course, there is always things that pluck my tail feathers. The restaurant is loud. I think it just has poor acoustics. We heard all about a birthday girl about 5 tables away who was hitting the vino. I was amazed that the staff continued to serve her alcohol despite her very obvious inebriation. She got up announced to the table (well the whole restaurant really) that she was going to use the restroom. When she didn't come back her friends started looking for her. She went and drove herself home, obviously very drunk. I have no tolerance for drunk driving so I was disappointed in her and the staff for continuing to serve her alcohol despite her very obvious inebriation.

Overall I give this 3 and a half enthusiastic quacks.

Mani/Pedi's with momma duck

2008-03-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

My mom took me out today for my Easter gift and we both got Manicures and Pedicures. We went to Maiden Nails in Webster, NY. Its address is 950 Ridge Road but its in the K-Mart/BJ's plaza between the two. We had appointments at 12:30 but my pedi didn't start until almost 2:00. The point was to spend time with momma duck but we got off schedule and she was getting her mani when my pedi finally started. My pedi was so rushed that we ended at the same time even though hers started 45 minutes before mine. The tech painted a very obvious fuzzy into my nail that I did't see until I got home. Thats what I get for flying out of there without inspecting the goods. I give this experience only two quacks. The staff is nice and the pedi-spas are really comfy with built-in back massagers. They really seem to cater more to the arcrylic nail crowd so your mileage may vary. As always, feel free to give a shout out to the duck pond!

Intro Post

2008-03-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hello Ducklings:

This is my blog for reviews. There is nothing off limit for me to review as I have lots of opinions. I live near Rochester, New York so most of my destination reviews will be in this area but as my world expands outward my reviews may too. So far my plan is to go backwards a bit before I go forwards.

3/11/08

I went to Michael's in Henrietta, NY. http://www.michaels.com/art/online/home. Any crafter already knows what this store is. I frequent a lot of the craft superstores because I enjoy fiber, paper, textiles, and mixed media artwork and there is a little something of everything in these stores. There are very few sections in these stores I don't visit (it's mostly the cheesy wedding section I steer clear of). They aren't the best for very specific or more advanced craft/art needs (I'm looking for chipboard birds). But they are good for basic, low cost supplies.

I had no coupons but everything I bought was on clearance. I enjoy stalking the store for hidden clearance dispersed among the aisles and then I hit the aisle dedicated to clearance items. My big purchase was 20 skeins of Bernat Brella yarn in a variety of neutral brown tones. (I plan to make my mother-in-law a shawl for her birthday). The yarns were marked clearance $1.50 but they rang up for a dollar!

What to know before you go:
Don't come here without a coupon. Michael's does not offer online coupons and to my knowledge they don't do private mailings. You can get Michael's coupons in the Sunday paper quite often. Michael's also accepts competitors (Joann's, A.C. Moore) PRINT coupons. They will not take computer or register coupons. Coupons are only good for regular priced items.

Beware of items labeled "clearance" and check the price. The clearance discount may only be a dollar off. Which is fine if the item was originally 2 dollars but if it was $19.99 it would have been better to use a coupon.

What Ducky didn't like:

I recently had surgery and I can't bend over all the way to the floor. Of course I knocked down 2 coloring books in the main aisle. I explained to a nearby associate that I couldn't bend over but I didn't want to leave the coloring books lying there. She said nothing at all to me and without even looking at me picked them up and went back to what she was doing. It all felt a bit hostile.

Feel free to share with me, I love to hear about other great deals that people find in stores. I also enjoy hearing about projects where craft items cross genres.